Windows 7 QuickSteps

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WINDOWS 7 QuickSteps

MARTY MATTHEWS

New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto

Copyright © 2010 by Matthews Technologies. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ISBN: 978-0-07-163570-7 MHID: 0-07-163570-X The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-163569-1, MHID: 0-07-163569-6. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative please e-mail us at [email protected]. Information has been obtained by McGraw-Hill from sources believed to be reliable. However, because of the possibility of human or mechanical error by our sources, McGraw-Hill, or others, McGraw-Hill does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information and is not responsible for any errors or omissions or the results obtained from the use of such information. TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms. THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise.

Carole and Michael I am exceptionally lucky to have Carole as my partner and wife for more than 37 years and to have Michael as my son for 23 of those years. Thank you both. I love you!

About the Author Marty Matthews has used computers for more than 40 years, from some of the early mainframe computers to recent personal computers. He has done this as a programmer, systems analyst, manager, vice president, and president of a software firm. As a result, he has firsthand knowledge of not only how to program and use a computer, but also how to make the best use of all that can be done with a computer. Twenty-nine years ago, Marty wrote his first computer book on how to buy minicomputers. Twenty-five years ago, Marty and his wife Carole began writing books as a major part of their occupation. In the intervening years, they have written more than 70 books, including ones on desktop publishing, Web publishing, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft operating systems—from MS-DOS through Windows 7. Recent books published by McGraw-Hill include Windows Vista QuickSteps, Windows Server 2008: A Beginner’s Guide, and Microsoft Office 2007 QuickSteps. Marty and Carole live on an island in Puget Sound, where, on the rare moments when they can look up from their computers, they look west across seven miles of water and the main shipping channel to the snow-capped Olympic Mountains.

About the Technical Editor John Cronan has more than 30 years of computer experience and has been writing and editing computer-related books for 17 years. His recent books include eBay QuickSteps Second Edition, Dynamic Web Programming: A Beginner’s Guide, Microsoft Office Excel 2010 QuickSteps, and Microsoft Office Access 2010 QuickSteps. John and Faye (and cat Little Buddy) reside in Everett, WA.

Contents at a Glance Chapter 1 Stepping into Windows 7 ..............................................1

1

Start and log on to Windows 7; use the mouse, screen, window, dialog box, and Start menu; exit Windows 7; get help; have fun

Chapter 2 Customizing Windows 7 ............................................. 23

2

Personalize Windows; change the desktop, icons, Start menu, date/time, sounds, and regional settings; manage gadgets

Chapter 3 Storing Information .................................................... 45

3

Display files and folders; change Explorer views; create folders; copy, move, rename, delete, and zip files and folders

Chapter 4 Using the Internet ...................................................... 67

4

Connect to the Internet, set up communications, search the Internet, control security, use email, participate in newsgroups, use IM

Chapter 5 Managing Windows 7 ............................................... 103

5

Start, stop, switch, and schedule programs; use Task Manger and Run; update and restore Windows; add/remove software

Chapter 6 Working with Documents and Pictures ..................... 133

6

Create and print documents and pictures, use cameras and scanners, handle fonts, capture Snips, use Sticky Notes

Chapter 7 Working with Multimedia ......................................... 159

7

Play CDs, access and buy online media, locate music, copy and burn CDs, play DVDs, make a movie, explore Media Center

Chapter 8 Controlling Security ................................................. 181

8

Set up users and passwords, switch users, set parental controls, share files, encrypt files, set up an Internet firewall

Chapter 9 Setting Up Networking ............................................. 207

9

Select a network, set up and enable a wired and a wireless network, configure and test networking, review security

10

Chapter 10 Using Networking .................................................... 227 Explore a network; use network addressing; find, copy, and share network files; use Remote Desktop; use a wireless network

Index

............................................................................... 245

Windows 7 QuickSteps

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Contents Acknowledgments....................................................................... xiii Introduction ............................................................................... xv

1

Chapter 1 Stepping into Windows 7 ......................................1 Start Windows .........................................................................................................2 Using the Mouse ................................................................................................3 Log On to Windows...........................................................................................3 Use the Mouse ....................................................................................................3 Use the Screen ....................................................................................................3 Using the Notification Area..............................................................................4 Open the Start Menu .........................................................................................5 Use the Start Menu ............................................................................................5 Starting a Program .............................................................................................8 Use a Window ....................................................................................................8 Use a Menu .......................................................................................................10 Changing the Window Layout ......................................................................11 Use a Dialog Box ..............................................................................................11 Navigate the Windows Desktop ....................................................................13 End Your Windows Session ............................................................................18 Having Fun with Windows ............................................................................19 Get Help ............................................................................................................19 Play FreeCell .....................................................................................................19

2

Chapter 2 Customizing Windows 7 ..................................... 23 Change the Look of Windows 7 .........................................................................23 Use the Personalization Window ..................................................................23 Add Windows Program Icons........................................................................29 Change Desktop Icons ....................................................................................30 Adding Other Program Icons to the Desktop..............................................31 Change the Start Menu ...................................................................................31 Change the Taskbar .........................................................................................33 Changing Taskbar Properties .........................................................................34 Permanently Pin Icons to the Taskbar ..........................................................34 Change How Windows 7 Operates ...................................................................35 Changing the Notification Area .....................................................................36 Set and Use the Date and Time ......................................................................36 Change Ease-of-Access Settings ....................................................................38 Using the Control Panel ..................................................................................39 Customize the Mouse ......................................................................................39 Customize the Keyboard ................................................................................41 Change Sounds ................................................................................................42 Change Regional Settings ...............................................................................42 Manage Gadgets ..............................................................................................43

7 QuickSteps Windows XP QuickSteps Windows Storing Information

vii vii

3

Chapter 3 Storing Information.............................................. 45

4

Chapter 4 Using the Internet ................................................ 67

Use the Windows File System ............................................................................46 Open Windows Explorer ................................................................................47 Changing the Windows Explorer Layout ....................................................48 Customize Windows Explorer .......................................................................48 Use Windows Explorer Menus ......................................................................49 Locate and Use Files and Folders.......................................................................51 Identify Storage Devices .................................................................................51 Select and Open Drives and Folders .............................................................52 Navigate Folders and Disks ...........................................................................52 Renaming and Deleting Files and Folders ...................................................54 Create New Folders .........................................................................................54 Select Multiple Files and Folders ...................................................................55 Use the Recycle Bin..........................................................................................56 Create Shortcuts ...............................................................................................57 Search for Files and Folders ...........................................................................57 Copying and Moving Files and Folders .......................................................58 Create Files........................................................................................................59 Encrypt Files and Folders ...............................................................................60 Change Other File and Folder Attributes .....................................................61 Zipping Files and Folders ...............................................................................62 Back Up Files and Folders ..............................................................................62 Managing Disks ...............................................................................................64 Write Files and Folders to a CD or DVD ......................................................64 Connect to the Internet ........................................................................................67 Types of Internet Connections .......................................................................68 Choose an Internet Connection .....................................................................68 Set Up Communications .................................................................................69 Configure an Internet Connection .................................................................72 Browsing the Internet ......................................................................................74 Use the World Wide Web ....................................................................................75 Search the Internet ...........................................................................................75 Keep a Favorite Site .........................................................................................76 Use Tabs.............................................................................................................77 Change Your Home Page ................................................................................79 Organizing Favorite Sites ...............................................................................80 Access Web History .........................................................................................81 Controlling Internet Security .........................................................................82 Copy Internet Information .............................................................................83 Play Internet Audio and Video Files .............................................................85 Use Internet Email ................................................................................................86 Get Windows Mail ...........................................................................................86 Establish an Email Account ............................................................................87 Create and Send Email ....................................................................................88 Receive Email ...................................................................................................89 Respond to Email .............................................................................................89 Using the Contacts List ...................................................................................90 Use Stationery ..................................................................................................91 Apply Formatting ............................................................................................91

viii


Using Web Mail ................................................................................................93 Attach Files to Email .......................................................................................93 Use Calendar ....................................................................................................94 Participate in Newsgroups .............................................................................96 Use Windows Live Messenger ...........................................................................99 Set Up Windows Live Messenger ..................................................................99 Using Windows Live Messenger .................................................................101

5

Chapter 5 Managing Windows 7 ........................................ 103 Start and Stop Programs ....................................................................................103 Automatically Start Programs .....................................................................104 Start Programs Minimized ...........................................................................105 Schedule Programs ........................................................................................105 Switching Programs ......................................................................................107 Control Programs with the Task Manager .................................................108 Stopping Programs ........................................................................................109 Start a Program in Run ..................................................................................110 Start Older Programs..................................................................................... 111 Control Automatic Programs .......................................................................112 Control Windows Indexing ..........................................................................113 Running Accessory Programs ......................................................................114 Maintain Windows 7 ..........................................................................................114 Update Windows 7 ........................................................................................114 Use the Action Center ...................................................................................117 Restore Windows 7 ........................................................................................117 Get System Information ................................................................................120 Set Power Options .........................................................................................121 Add and Remove Software ..........................................................................122 Add Hardware ...............................................................................................125 Use Remote Assistance .................................................................................127

6

Chapter 6 Working with Documents and Pictures ......... 133 Create Documents and Pictures .......................................................................133 Create a Picture ..............................................................................................133 Acquiring a Document ..................................................................................134 Install Cameras and Scanners ......................................................................134 Scan Pictures ...................................................................................................137 Import Camera Images .................................................................................138 Work with Photo Gallery Pictures ...............................................................139 Viewing Other Pictures .................................................................................142 Capture Snips .................................................................................................142 Print Documents and Pictures ..........................................................................143 Using Sticky Notes ........................................................................................144 Install a Printer ...............................................................................................144 Printing ............................................................................................................148 Print Pictures ..................................................................................................148 Print to a File...................................................................................................149 Configure a Printer ........................................................................................150 Control Printing .............................................................................................153 Handling Fonts...............................................................................................156


ix

7

Chapter 7 Working with Multimedia.................................. 159

8

Chapter 8 Controlling Security........................................... 181

Work with Audio ................................................................................................160 Play CDs ..........................................................................................................160 Control the Volume........................................................................................162 Access Online Media .....................................................................................162 Buy Media Online ..........................................................................................163 Copy (Rip) CDs to Your Computer .............................................................164 Organize Music ..............................................................................................165 Make (Burn) a Music CD ..............................................................................167 Displaying Visualizations in Windows Media Player ..............................168 Copy to (Sync with) Music Players .............................................................169 Work with Video .................................................................................................170 Play DVDs .......................................................................................................170 Preparing to Make a Movie ..........................................................................171 Import Video from a Camcorder .................................................................171 Make a Movie .................................................................................................173 Complete a Movie ..........................................................................................176 Exploring Windows Media Center..............................................................179

9

Control Who Is a User ........................................................................................181 Understanding User Account Control ........................................................182 Set Up Users ...................................................................................................182 Setting Passwords ..........................................................................................185 Reset a Password ...........................................................................................185 Replace Passwords ........................................................................................187 Customizing a User Account .......................................................................188 Switch Among Users .....................................................................................188 Control What a User Does .................................................................................188 Set Parental Controls .....................................................................................189 Control What Parts of Windows Can Be Used ..........................................191 Set File and Folder Sharing ..........................................................................191 Testing an Internet Firewall ..........................................................................193 Use and Add Groups .....................................................................................199 Protect Stored Data .............................................................................................201 Protect Files and Folders ...............................................................................201 Understanding Permissions .........................................................................202 Use Encrypted Files and Folders .................................................................204 Locking a Computer ......................................................................................205

Chapter 9 Setting Up Networking...................................... 207 Plan a Network ....................................................................................................207 Select a Network Architecture .....................................................................208 Select a Network Standard ...........................................................................210 Selecting Wired Ethernet Hardware ...........................................................212 Set Up a Network ................................................................................................213 Set Up Network Interface Cards..................................................................214 Selecting Wireless Hardware .......................................................................215 Enable Windows 7’s Networking Functions .............................................218 Configure a Networking Protocol ...............................................................219

x


Getting a Block of IP Addresses ...................................................................222 Test a Network Setup and Connection .......................................................222 Review Network Security .............................................................................224

10

Chapter 10 Using Networking............................................... 227 Access Network Resources ...............................................................................228 Explore a Network .........................................................................................228 Permanently Connect to a Network Resource ..........................................229 Connect Outside Your Workgroup or Domain ..........................................230 Using Network Addresses............................................................................231 Copy Network Files and Information.........................................................231 Print on Network Printers ............................................................................231 Finding or Adding a Network Printer ........................................................232 Access a Network Internet Connection ......................................................234 Let Others Access Your Resources...............................................................234 Share Files and Folders .................................................................................234 Work Remotely ....................................................................................................235 Set Up a Remote Desktop Connection ........................................................235 Connect to a Remote Desktop over a LAN ................................................237 Use a Remote Desktop Connection .............................................................238 Set Up and Use a Wireless Network ...............................................................240 Set Up a Wireless Connection ......................................................................240 Manage Wireless Network Sharing.............................................................242 Implementing Windows Defender..............................................................243 Use a Wireless Network ................................................................................243

Index ...................................................................................... 245


xi


Acknowledgments This book is a team effort of truly talented people. Among them are: John Cronan, technical editor, corrected many errors, added many tips and notes, and greatly improved the book. John is also a good friend and an author in his own right. Thanks, John! Lisa McCoy, copy editor, added to the readability and understandability of the book while always being a joy to work with. Thanks, Lisa! Valerie Perry, indexer, who adds so much to the usability of the book, and does so quickly and with much thought. Thanks, Valerie! Jody McKenzie and Smita Rajan, project supervisor and project manager, greased the wheels and straightened the track to make a smooth production process. Thanks, Jody and Smita! Roger Stewart, sponsoring editor, believed in us enough to sell the series and continues to stand behind us as we go through the third edition. Thanks, Roger! Nancy, Lee, Stuart, and Craig, friends and island neighbors, who do a lot to support our writing efforts. Thanks, Nancy, Lee, Stuart, and Craig!


xiii


Introduction QuickSteps books are recipe books for computer users. They answer the question “how do I...” by providing a quick set of steps to accomplish the most common tasks with a particular operating system or application. The sets of steps are the central focus of the book. QuickSteps sidebars show how to quickly perform many small functions or tasks that support the primary functions. Notes, Tips, and Cautions augment the steps, and are presented in a separate column so as not to interrupt the flow of the steps. The introductions are minimal, and other narrative is kept brief. Numerous fullcolor illustrations and figures, many with callouts, support the steps. QuickSteps books are organized by function and the tasks needed to perform that function. Each function is a chapter. Each task, or “How To,” contains the steps needed for accomplishing the function, along with the relevant Notes, Tips, Cautions, and screenshots. You can easily find the tasks you want to perform through:

•

The table of contents, which lists the functional areas (chapters) and tasks in the order they are presented

• •

A How To list of tasks on the opening page of each chapter

•

Color-coded tabs for each chapter or functional area, with an index to the tabs in the Contents at a Glance (just before the table of contents)

The index, which provides an alphabetical list of the terms that are used to describe the functions and tasks


xv

Conventions Used in This Book Windows 7 QuickSteps uses several conventions designed to make the book easier for you to follow. Among these are:

•

A or a in the table of contents or the How To list in each chapter references a QuickSteps or QuickFacts sidebar in a chapter.

•

Bold type is used for words on the screen that you are to do something with, like “...click the File menu, and click Save As.”

•

Italic type is used for a word or phrase that is being defined or otherwise deserves special emphasis.

• •

Underlined type is used for text that you are to type from the keyboard. SMALL CAPITAL LETTERS are used for keys on the keyboard, such as ENTER and SHIFT.

•

xvi

When you are expected to enter a command, you are told to press the key(s). If you are to enter text or numbers, you are told to type them.


11

How to… Log On to Windows

•

Use the Mouse

•

Use the Screen Using the Notification Area Open the Start Menu

•

Use the Start Menu Starting a Program Use a Window

•

Use a Menu Changing the Window Layout Use a Dialog Box

•

Navigate the Windows Desktop

•

End Your Windows Session Having Fun with Windows Get Help

•

Play FreeCell

8

This chapter explains how to start and/or log on to Windows 7; how to use its screens, windows, menus, and dialog boxes; and how to shut it down. You will also learn how to get help and discover some ways to have fun with Windows.

7

•

Windows 7 as an operating system performs the central role in managing what a computer does and how it is done. An operating system provides the interface between you and the computer hardware: It lets you store a file, print a document, connect to the Internet, or transfer information over a local area network (LAN) without knowing anything about how the hardware works.

6

•

Stepping into Windows 7

5

•

Chapter 1

4

•

3

•

2

Using the Mouse

9

Stepping into Windows 7

1

10


11

NOTE 2

The desktop on your screen may be different from the

Start Windows

one shown in Figure 1-1. Each manufacturer has its own default desktop, and if you upgrade to Windows 7, you

3

will see still a different one.

The desktop is used for windows, dialog boxes, and icons

The mouse pointer shows where the mouse is pointing

4

The Recycle Bin icon opens a folder of deleted files

To start Windows, you need to turn on the computer. Sometimes, that is all you need to do. If, when you turn on the computer, you see a screen similar to Figure 1-1, you have started Windows. In many cases, in addition to turning on the computer, you also need to log on.

8

7

6

5

Desktop icon for a program you can run, or a file or folder you can open

9

Figure 1-1: When you have started Windows 7, your screen should look something like this.

10

The Start button opens the Start menu The taskbar shows application programs that are running and other programs that are “pinned” to it

22

Windows 7 QuickSteps 7 PC QuickSteps GettingStepping to Knowinto YourWindows PC

The notification area holds icons of running system programs

11

NOTE will be asked to press CTRL+ALT+DEL at the same time. Do so, then enter your user name and password, and press ENTER or click OK.

4

USING THE MOUSE

If, when you start Windows, you see a Log On screen on which you can click one of several users, click your name or that of the default user and, if requested, enter your password. Windows will log you on to the system. If someone else, such as a system administrator, installed Windows 7 on your computer, he or she should have given you a user name and password, if one is needed. If you purchased a computer with Windows 7 installed on it or upgraded to Windows 7, a default user is shown on the logon page. As you will see in Chapter 8, you can change and add users if you wish.

3

UICKSTEPS

Log On to Windows

2

If you are logging on to a domain (see Chapter 9), you

HIGHLIGHT AN OBJECT ON THE SCREEN

Use the Mouse

Highlight an object (a button, an icon, a border, etc.) on the screen by pointing to it. Point at an object on the screen by moving top of the object. SELECT AN OBJECT ON THE SCREEN Select an object on the screen by clicking it. Click means and release the left mouse button. OPEN AN OBJECT OR START A PROGRAM Open an object or start a program by double-clicking select and press and release the mouse button twice in rapid succession. OPEN A CONTEXT MENU FOR AN OBJECT

You can control the mouse with either your left or right hand; therefore, the buttons may be switched. (See Chapter 2 to switch the buttons.) This book assumes you are using your right hand to control the mouse and that the left mouse button is “the mouse button.” The right button is always called the “right mouse button.” If you switch the buttons, you must change your interpretation of these phrases.

7

it. Double-click means to point at an object you want to

6

to point at an object you want to select and quickly press

5

the mouse until the tip of the pointer is on

A mouse is any pointing device—including trackballs, pointing sticks, and graphic tablets—with two or more buttons. This book assumes you are using a two-button mouse. Moving the mouse moves the pointer on the screen. You select an object on the screen by moving the pointer so that it is on top of the object and then pressing the left button on the mouse.

Use the Screen

to an object, by right-clicking it. Right-click means to point at an object you want to select and quickly press and

9

The Windows 7 screen can hold windows and other objects. In its simplest form, shown in Figure 1-1, you see a background scene, a bar at the bottom with a button on the left and the time and date on the right, and some icons in the upper-left area.

allows you to do things specific

8

Open a context menu, which

release the right mouse button. Continued . . .

Stepping Windows Getting to into Know Your PC7

33

10

Windows 7 QuickSteps PC QuickSteps

11 2

UICKSTEPS USING THE MOUSE

(Continued)

MOVE AN OBJECT ON THE SCREEN Move an object on the screen by dragging it. Drag means to point at an object you want to move, then press and

The parts of a screen are:

• • •

The desktop, which takes up most of the screen.

•

The notification area in the lower-right area, which holds icons of running system programs.

•

The Show Desktop button, at the rightmost of the taskbar, minimizes all open windows so you can see the desktop.

•

Desktop icons, which can be in any number and anywhere on the desktop, are in the upper-left corner of Figure 1-1. Desktop icons are used to start programs or open files or folders.

•

The mouse pointer, which can be anywhere on the screen.

3

hold the mouse button while moving the mouse. You will drag the object as you move the mouse. When the object

4

is where you want it, release the mouse button.

UICKSTEPS USING THE NOTIFICATION AREA

5

The notification area on the right of the taskbar contains the icons of special programs and system features, as well as the time and date. SHOW HIDDEN ICONS Click the up arrow to see the icons of hidden

6

programs, and then click any you wish to open. OPEN A SYSTEM FEATURE Click one of the icons in the middle to open a

7

system feature. SET THE TIME AND DATE Click the time and date area to see a calendar and an analog clock, then click Change Date And

8

Time Settings (see related Note).

The taskbar across the bottom, which identifies programs that are running or “pinned” to it.

USE THE DESKTOP

The desktop is the entire screen, except for the bar at the bottom. Windows, dialog boxes, and icons, such as the Recycle Bin, are displayed on the desktop. You can store shortcuts, which are icons for your favorite programs, on the desktop (see Chapter 2). You can drag windows, dialog boxes, files, and icons around the desktop. Double-click an icon on the desktop to open it. USE THE START BUTTON

The Start button, located on the left of the taskbar, opens the Start menu when clicked. This provides you with primary access to the programs, utilities, and settings that are available in Windows.

SHOW THE DESKTOP On the far right of the taskbar is an unmarked rectangular area, which, if you click it, will minimize all open windows and dialog boxes and display the desktop.

9

Clicking it again restores all open windows and dialog boxes. Simply moving the mouse over (also known as to mouse over ) this button temporarily clears from the screen all open windows and dialog boxes until you move the mouse away.

10

The Start button in the lower-left corner, which opens the Start menu.

44


USE THE TASKBAR

The taskbar at the bottom of the screen contains the active tasks, which are icons and titles of the programs that are running on the computer or folders that are open. The taskbar also holds the Start button on the left and the notification area and Show Desktop button on the right. Click a program on the taskbar to open it.

11

NOTE

Show Desktop button

2

Your taskbar may have more or fewer objects than those

Programs “pinned” to the taskbar

shown in the illustration.

Start button

If you are connected to the Internet, you should never need to set your time and date, even when changing to or from daylight saving time (summertime in Europe), computer’s time with a local time server.

Notification area

USE A DESKTOP ICON

A desktop icon represents a program or folder that can be started or opened and moved about the screen. The Recycle Bin is a desktop icon for a folder that contains all of the files that have been deleted since the Recycle Bin was last emptied. Double-click a desktop icon to open or start what it refers to.

4

because Windows automatically synchronizes your

Active programs or open folders

3

NOTE

USE THE MOUSE POINTER

The icons you have in the notification area will depend

The mouse pointer, or simply the pointer or mouse, shows where the mouse is pointing. Move the mouse to move the pointer.

5

NOTE on the programs and processes you have running and the system features you have available. The icons shown here include system messages, which access the Action ; Network, which accesses the Network And

Sharing Center

; and Speakers, which allows you to

control the sound from your computer

. In a laptop

or notebook computer, you probably have two additional and Wireless

.

1. Point at the Start button by moving the pointer so that it is over the Start button. You will see that the button changes color. When this happens, the button is said to be selected or highlighted.

2. Press and release the left mouse button (given that your mouse buttons have not been

7

icons: Power

To open the Start menu:

6

Center

Open the Start Menu

switched) while the pointer is on the Start button. The Start menu will open, as you can see in Figure 1-2.

8

Use the Start Menu


55

10


9

The Start menu contains icons for programs and folders, as well as access to control functions and other menus, as shown in Figure 1-2. The most important menu item is All Programs, which opens a menu within the Start menu of all your programs. The buttons in the lower-right corner—Shut Down and sessionending choices—are important control functions discussed later in this chapter. The text box in the lower-left corner allows you to enter criteria and search the

11

NOTE 2

The two steps describing how to open the Start menu can be replaced with the two words “click Start.” You can also open the Start menu by pressing the Windows Flag key

on your keyboard, if you have that key,

3

or by pressing both the CTRL and ESC keys together (CTRL+ESC). In the rest of this book, you will see the

User-related folders

phrase “click Start.” This means open the Start menu

4

using any technique you wish.

5

System-related folders

6

Session-end choices

7

Figure 1-2: The Start menu provides access to the programs, utilities, and settings in Windows.

NOTE 8

Depending on the edition of Windows 7 you have (Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate), your Start menu may be slightly different from the one shown here for Windows 7 Ultimate

10

9

edition.

66


files and folders on the computer or the Internet for those that contain a match. All other options on the menu open folders or start programs, or both. The eight lower icons on the left change to reflect the programs you have used most recently (which are probably different from those shown here). In most cases, these are the programs that Windows 7 initially displays. The remaining icons in the Start menu fall into two categories: user-related folders and system-related folders, programs, and options.

11

OPEN USER-RELATED FOLDERS

2 3

The top five options on the right in Figure 1-2 (including the user’s name at the top) are used to access folders related to the user who is logged on. These options start the Windows Explorer program and display the folder identified. Clicking the user’s name opens a folder containing the user’s libraries (with four subsidiary folders), as well as other features, as shown here. Windows Explorer will be discussed later in this chapter and again in Chapter 3. OPEN SYSTEM-RELATED FOLDERS

Control Panel provides access to many of the settings that govern how Windows and the computer operate. This allows you to customize much of Windows and to locate and solve problems. The Control Panel is discussed primarily in Chapter 2.

•

Devices And Printers allows you to check the status of and change the settings on the hardware devices and printers in or connected to your computer.

•

Default Programs allows you to associate a program with a file type and automatically start that program when you double-click that type of file.

•

Help And Support opens a window from which you can search for information on how to use Windows 7. It includes a tutorial and a troubleshooting guide. Help is discussed in more detail later in this chapter.

7 8

Start menu, you’ll see how to add them in Chapter 4.

•

6

If you are looking for Internet-accessing programs on the

Computer starts the Windows Explorer program and displays disk storage devices on the computer. From this point you can open any disk, folder, and file that is available to you on your computer and the network to which you are connected.

5

NOTE

•

4

The remaining five icons in the bottom-right area of the Start menu (see Figure 1-2) help you manage your computer and its resources or get help. The function of each is as follows:

Your computer’s manufacturer may have added an icon that connects you to the manufacturer’s Internet Help center.

9


77

10


11 2

UICKSTEPS STARTING A PROGRAM The method for starting a program depends on where the program icon is located. Here are the alternatives:

3

ON THE DESKTOP Double-click the program icon, or “shortcut,” on the desktop. ON THE START MENU

4

Click the program icon on the Start menu. A PINNED ICON ON THE TASKBAR Click the program icon on the taskbar. IN THE NOTIFICATION AREA

5

Click the program icon in the notification area. ON THE ALL PROGRAMS MENU

1. Click Start. 2. Click All Programs.

6

3. Click the relevant folder or folders. 4. Click the program icon, as shown in Figure 1-3.

Figure 1-3: All Programs on the Start menu may lead you through several folders before you find the program you want.

USING THE RUN COMMAND

7

1. Click Start and click All Programs. 2. Click Accessories and then click Run. 3. Type the path and program name, and

8

press ENTER or click OK.

TIP 9

In Chapter 3 you will see how to start programs with

10

Windows Explorer.

88


Use a Window When you start a program or open a folder, the program or folder appears in a “window” on your screen, as shown with the Windows Explorer window in Figure 1-4. The window in Figure 1-4 has a number of features that are referred to in the remainder of this book. Not all windows have all of the features shown in the figure, and some windows have features unique to them.

11

TIP The title bar is used to drag the window around the screen, and may contain the name of the program or folder in the window (the Windows Explorer window in Windows 7 does not contain a name in the title bar).

•

The address bar displays the complete address of what is being displayed in the subject pane. In Figure 1-4, this is the Ch01 folder, in the QuickSteps-Win 7 folder, on drive C of the Marty2 computer in the local network.

•

The toolbar contains tools related to the contents of the window. Click a tool to use it. The toolbar is always displayed.

menu, the program takes on a colored background and becomes selected, as shown in Figure 1-3. If you don’t immediately click the item, a little message box, or screen tip, will appear. It gives you information about the program you selected.

Title bar

Address bar

Toolbar

Minimize button

3

•

2

When you move the pointer to a program on the Start

Maximize/Restore button

4

Close button

5

Scroll arrow

Window border Subject pane

6

Scroll bar

7

Scroll button

8

Navigation pane

Preview pane Details pane

Scroll arrow

9

Sizing handle

Figure 1-4: The Windows Explorer window has a number of different features that allow you to perform many tasks.


99

10


11 2

TIP Double-clicking a window’s title bar toggles between maximizing and restoring a window to its previous size.

•

The Minimize button decreases the size of the window so that you see it only as a task on the taskbar.

•

The Maximize/Restore button increases the size of the window so that it fills the screen. When the screen is maximized, this button becomes the Restore button, which, when clicked, returns the screen to its previous size.

• •

The Close button shuts down and closes the program, folder, or file in the window.

•

The sizing handle in each corner of the window allows it to be sized diagonally, increasing or decreasing the window’s height and width when you drag a handle.

•

The preview pane displays the object selected in the subject pane. For example, in Figure 1-4, the navigation pane points to a particular folder whose files of screenshots are shown in the subject pane, where one particular file is selected and displayed in the preview pane. By default, the preview pane is turned off.

•

The details pane displays detailed information about the object that is selected in the subject pane. The details pane is turned on by default.

•

The subject pane displays the principal subject of the window, such as files, folders, programs, documents, or images. The subject pane is always on.

•

The navigation pane provides links to the most commonly used folders related to the user who is logged on, as well as an optional hierarchical list of disks and folders on the computer. The navigation pane is turned on by default.

•

Scroll arrows, when clicked, move the window contents in small increments in the direction of the arrow.

• •

The scroll button can be dragged in either direction to move the contents accordingly.

Restore buttons.

7

6

5

4

3

This is much easier than clicking the Maximize and

NOTE The line between windows and dialog boxes is becoming

8

fuzzier. Most windows have a title bar with the Minimize, Maximize/Restore, and Close buttons. The title bars of program windows also have a control menu icon on the

The window border separates the window from the desktop, and can be used to size the window horizontally or vertically by dragging the horizontal or vertical border, respectively.

The scroll bar allows you to move the contents of the pane within the window so that you can see information that wasn’t displayed. Clicking the scroll bar itself moves the contents in larger increments.

left of the title bar and the program name in the middle

9

of the title bar. All windows also have a border and sizing handle, both of which can be used to change the size of the window. Some dialog boxes can now be sized, and many windows do not have menus or a system menu icon.

Use a Menu A menu provides a way of selecting an action, such as turning on the preview pane, as shown in Figure 1-5. To use a menu in an open window:

10

1. Click the menu name on the menu bar. 10 10

Windows 7 QuickSteps Windows 7 PC QuickSteps GettingStepping to Knowinto Your PC

11

UICKSTEPS 2

CHANGING THE WINDOW LAYOUT The window shown in Figure 1-4 has all of its panes turned on. By default, the preview pane is not visible. You can turn these panes on and turn other panes off.

3

TURN ON PANES Click Organize on the toolbar, click Layout, and click Preview Pane (see Figure 1-5). TURN OFF PANES

4

Click Organize on the toolbar, click Layout, and click Details Pane or Navigation Pane. Figure 1-5: By default, menus are not available in Windows Explorer, but you can turn them on if you wish.

TURN ON CLASSIC MENUS If you miss the menus that were in Windows Explorer in

5

earlier versions of Windows, you can turn them on.

2. Move the pointer to the option you want. 3. Click the option you want.

Click Organize on the toolbar, click Layout, and click Menu Bar.

6

Use a Dialog Box Dialog boxes gather information. A dialog box uses a common set of controls to accomplish its purpose. Figures 1-6 and 1-7 show two frequently used dialog boxes with many of the controls often seen.

7

The common controls in dialog boxes are used in the following ways:

TIP from a window. The purpose of a window is to display

The title bar contains the name of the dialog box and is used to drag the box around the desktop.

• •

Tabs let you select from among several pages in a dialog box.

•

A list box (not shown) lets you select one or more items from a list; it may include a scroll bar.

•

Option buttons, also called radio buttons, let you select one among mutually exclusive options.

information, while the purpose of a dialog box is to gather information. Dialog boxes cannot be sized and do not Maximize buttons.

A drop-down list box displays a list from which you can choose one item that will be displayed when the list is closed.

11 11

10

Windows 7 QuickSteps Getting Stepping into Windows PC QuickSteps to Know Your PC7

9

have a control menu icon, a menu bar, or Minimize and

8

There are several ways to distinguish a dialog box

•

11

Drop-down list

Close button

3

2

Title bar

4

Spinner Option button

Text box

Check box

• •

Check boxes let you turn features on or off.

• •

A text box lets you enter and edit text.

•

A spinner lets you select from a sequential series of numbers.

•

A slider lets you select from several values.

A preview area shows you the effect of the changes you make (not shown).

Command buttons perform functions such as closing the dialog box and accepting any changes (the OK button), or closing the dialog box and ignoring the changes (the Cancel button).

Tab

6

5

Command button

Figure 1-6: This dialog box demonstrates some of the standard controls you’ll find in dialog boxes.

7

Slider

8

Command button

10

9

Check box

Figure 1-7: Dialog boxes come in many different sizes and with different controls. 12 12


11 2

You will have a great many opportunities to use dialog boxes. For the most part, you can try dialog boxes and see what happens; if you don’t like the outcome, you can come back and reverse the setting.

Navigate the Windows Desktop 3

When multiple windows are open, and possibly a dialog box or two, navigating among them and displaying the one(s) you want could be difficult. Figure 1-8, for example, shows such a situation. Earlier versions of Windows tried to address

4 5 6 7 8 9


13 13

10

Figure 1-8: A screen can become cluttered with windows and dialog boxes, making it difficult to find what you want.

11 2

this, but Windows 7 has added a number of features to handle it elegantly, including:

3

• • • • •

Aero Peek to see what’s hidden on the screen Aero Shake to minimize other open windows Aero Snaps to resize and position windows Jump Lists to see recent files and program options Taskbar Previews to see what is open in a program

4

AERO PEEK

Figure 1-9: With Aero Peek, all open windows become transparent.

Aero Peek allows you to see what’s hidden on the desktop behind all the open windows. You can do this on a temporary (or “peek”) basis or a more longlasting one.

5

•

Move the mouse pointer to (“mouse over”) the Show Desktop area on the far right of the taskbar. All the open windows will become transparent (“glass”) frames, as you can see in Figure 1-9.

6

•

Return to the original desktop after a temporary peek:

7

Move the mouse pointer away from the Show Desktop area. All the open windows will reappear, as shown in Figure 1-8.

•

Hide all open windows so you can see and work on the desktop:

8

Click in the Show Desktop area on the far right of the taskbar. All the open windows will be hidden, and you can move the mouse around the entire desktop.

9

•

10

Temporarily peek at the desktop:

Unhide all open windows and return to the original desktop: Click in the Show Desktop area on the far right of the taskbar. All the open windows will be returned to their original position.

14 14


11

AERO SHAKE

If you use Aero Shake on a dialog box, it will close all

Aero Shake allows you to minimize all open windows except for the one you are “shaking.” To “shake” a window:

the dialog box.

3

Point to the title bar of the window you want to remain open. Press and hold the mouse button while moving the mouse rapidly to the left and then to the right, as if you were shaking it.

windows except the window for the program that opened

2

NOTE

–Or– Press and hold the Windows Flag key while pressing HOME.

4

To return the minimized windows to their original size and position, repeat the same steps.

AERO SNAPS

•

5

Aero Snaps “snap” a window to various parts of the screen, a function similar to the Maximize/Restore button (which can still be used) on the title bar of a selected, floating (not already maximized) window, with some useful additions. Maximize a floating window:

6

Point within the title bar of the window, not on its edge, and drag it to the top of the screen. The window will be maximized to fill the screen. –Or– Press and hold the Windows Flag key while pressing UP ARROW.

•

Restore a maximized window (independent of how it was maximized):

7

Double-click the title bar. –Or– Press and hold the Windows Flag key while pressing DOWN ARROW. Vertically maximize a floating window while not spreading it out horizontally, as shown on the left.

8

•

Point to the top or bottom edge of a window, and drag it to the corresponding edge of the screen. The window will be vertically maximized.

9

–Or– Press and hold the Windows Flag key while pressing SHIFT+UP ARROW.

15 15

10


11 2

•

Left-align a floating window and have it occupy 50 percent of the screen: Point to the title bar of a window, and drag it to the corresponding edge of the screen. When the mouse pointer reaches the edge of the screen, the window will fill the left 50 percent of the screen.

3

–Or– Press and hold the Windows Flag key while pressing LEFT ARROW.

•

Right-align a floating window and have it occupy 50 percent of the screen:

4

Point at the title bar of a window, and drag it to the corresponding edge of the screen. When the mouse pointer reaches the edge of the screen, the window will fill the right 50 percent of the screen. –Or– Press and hold the Windows Flag key while pressing RIGHT ARROW.

5

•

Restore a window that is filling 50 percent of the screen: Double-click the title bar twice. –Or–

6

Press and hold the Windows Flag key while pressing the key opposite to the one used to enlarge it. –Or– Point at the title bar of a window, and drag it down and away from the window edge it was aligned to.

7

JUMP LISTS

8

Jump lists are a context or pop-up menu for application icons on the taskbar or the Start menu, as shown above to the left. When you right-click a program icon on either the Start menu or taskbar, a menu will appear containing a list of recent files or web pages, as well as options to close the application, pin or unpin it from the Start menu or taskbar, and open the application with a blank file or web page.

10

9

TASKBAR PREVIEWS

Taskbar previews are a miniature image, or thumbnail, of an open window attached to a taskbar icon. When you mouse over an icon on the taskbar,

16 16


11 2 3

a thumbnail of the open window or windows related to that icon will temporarily appear, as shown here. If you then move the mouse to the thumbnail, a temporary full-sized image will appear (see Figure 1-10). When you move the mouse off the thumbnail or the icon, the corresponding image will disappear. Open a window by clicking its thumbnail. Close a window by clicking the Close button on the thumbnail.

4 5

TIP Look at the icons on the taskbar in Figure 1-10. It is obvious by its bright highlight that the Windows Explorer icon is selected and the one displaying the thumbnails.

6

You can also tell that the Windows Live Mail and Windows Media Player icons (the two following Windows Explorer), by their lack of any highlight and border, do not have any open windows, while all the remaining program

7

icons, which are highlighted, do have open windows.

8 9

Figure 1-10: The natural instinct is to move the mouse from the thumbnail to the temporary larger window to open it, but that causes both images to disappear. You must click the thumbnail. 17 17

10


11 2

End Your Windows Session

NOTE

You can end your Windows session in several ways, depending on what you want to do. All of these can be found on the Start menu.

1.

Click Start. Note in the lower-right area of the Start menu there is a button marked Shut Down and a rightpointing arrow which opens a menu of options that are in addition to Shut Down.

2.

Click either Shut Down or the right-arrow, and click the option you want.

3

In the illustration shown here of the lower-right area of the Start menu there is an exclamation mark in a shield on the Shut Down button. This tells you that when you shut down, updates will be installed and then the

4

computer will be shut down.

The meanings of the various options are:

•

Shut Down closes all active programs and network connections and logs off all users so that no information is lost, and then turns off the computer (if it is done automatically) or tells you when it is safe for you to turn it off. When you start up the computer, you must reload your programs and data and reestablish your network connection to get back to where you were when you shut down.

•

Switch User leaves all active programs, network connections, and your user account active but hidden while you let another person use the computer.

•

Log Off closes all active programs, network connections, and your user account but leaves Windows 7 and the computer running so another person can log on.

•

Lock leaves all active programs, network connections, and your user account active but displays the Welcome screen, where you must click your user icon and potentially enter a password, if you have established one, to resume using the computer.

•

Restart closes all active programs, network connections, and logs off all users so that no information is lost. Windows is then shut down and restarted. This is usually done when there is a problem that restarting Windows will fix or to complete setting up some programs.

•

Sleep leaves all active programs, network connections, and your user account active and in memory, but also saves the state of everything on disk. Your computer is then put into a low power state that allows you to quickly resume working exactly where you were when you left. In a desktop computer, it is left running in this low power state for as long as you wish. In a mobile computer (laptops, notebooks, netbooks, and tablet PCs), after three hours or if the battery is low, your session is again saved to disk and the computer is turned off.

5

NOTE The function of the Shut Down button can be changed to

6

any of the other session-end options (see Chapter 5).

7

TIP There are two distinct schools of thought on whether you should use Sleep or Shut Down when you leave the computer for any length of time. There are two primary considerations: security and power usage. Older

8

computers used less power running in Sleep mode than the power consumed during shutting down and starting up. New computers have reduced the power consumed during these events, so it is now a toss-up. From a security standpoint, there is no security like having your computer

9

completely turned off. A computer is also fairly secure in Sleep mode, but it is theoretically possible for a hacker to awaken it. The choice becomes a matter of preference.

10

I turn my computers off; my wife leaves hers on.

18 18


11

UICKSTEPS

RESUME FROM SLEEP

Windows 7 has a number of games besides FreeCell. The following sections explain how to play three more.

Hearts is a card game that can be played by as many as four people on the network.

1. Click Start, click All Programs,

Press any key on your keyboard. This works with most desktop computers and mobile computers that have only been asleep a short time.

•

Quickly press the power button on your computer. This works with most recent computers of all types. Holding down the computer’s power button will, in most cases, either fully turn off the computer or cause it to restart (shut fully down and then restart).

•

Open the top. This works with most mobile computers.

click Games, and click Hearts. The game board will appear. By default, you will have three simulated opponents.

away, and click the arrow to give your cards to the person in the direction of the arrow. The objective is to have the lowest score by not taking tricks with hearts or the queen of spades in them unless the highest card in the suit led for that trick. You begin the game by passing three cards from your hand to another player. You want to pass your highest hearts and spades. The person with the two of clubs leads. You must your high hearts or spades or any other card. Whoever takes a trick plays the first card for the next trick. Play continues until all cards have been played. At the end tricks you took plus 13 points for the queen of spades. If you get all the hearts plus the queen of spades, you get zero points and all other players get 26 points.

the one shown in Figure 1-11, opens.

2. In the Search Help text box, type start a program. A number of options related to starting a program will be displayed.

3. Click the Close button to close the Help And Support window.

Play FreeCell There are a number of games you can play in Windows 7. Probably the most addictive of them all is FreeCell, which is a solitaire-like card game. To start playing:

9

Continued . . .

1. Click Start and click Help And Support. The Windows Help And Support window, like

8

of a game, one point is assessed for each heart in the

Windows 7 Help provides both built-in documentation and online assistance that you can use to learn how to work with Windows 7. For example, to use Help to start a program:

7

follow suit if you can. If you can’t, you may throw away

Get Help 6

you can take all such tricks. You take a trick by playing

5

2. Click three cards you want to give

4

•

3

PLAY HEARTS

There are several ways to resume operation after a computer has been put into Sleep mode, which depend on your type of computer, how it was put to sleep, and how long it has been sleeping. A computer can be put into Sleep mode either by your action on the Start menu or as the result of the computer not being used for a period of time, which is controlled in the Power Options (see Chapter 5). The ways to resume include:

2

HAVING FUN WITH WINDOWS

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Games, and click FreeCell. The game board will be displayed, and a new hand will be dealt.

19 19

10


11 2

UICKSTEPS HAVING FUN WITH WINDOWS (Continued) PLAY MINESWEEPER

3

Minesweeper is a game of chance in which you try to accumulate points by not encountering mines.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Games, and click

4

Minesweeper. The first time you play, you are asked to click the level of difficulty you want to use. The game board will then appear.

5

2. The object is to find the mines hidden in the squares without clicking one. Click a square. You will see one or more squares showing numbers or blanks or a mine. The number tells you how many mines are

6

contained in the eight surrounding squares. Mark the suspected mines with the right mouse button. Clicking a mine ends the game.

3. After a game has ended, to restart the game, click

7

Restart This Game; to start a new game, click Play Again; or click Exit.

Figure 1-11: The Windows 7 Help and Support window provides you with several options for getting help.

PLAY SOLITAIRE Solitaire is a game of chance and strategy. The object of

8

the game is to end up with the deck of cards arranged sequentially in suits from ace to king.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Games, and click Solitaire. The game board is displayed. You will see a row of seven stacks of cards; all

9

are face-down except the top card. You move the cards between the stacks to create columns

10

Continued . . .

20 20


The objective is to get the complete set of cards in each of the four suits in order from ace to king in the home cells in the upper-right area. You can temporarily place up to four cards in the free cells in the upper-left area. You can also temporarily place a card on the next highest card of the opposite color in the stacks at the bottom.

2. To move a card, click it and then click where you want it to go. If it is not a legal move, you will be told that. If you get an empty column at the bottom, you can build your own sequence in it.

11

UICKSTEPS (Continued) of alternating suits, exposing the hidden cards so you can eventually move them to the empty turned-down stack of cards, which you can click and move to a proper place on one of the seven

3. When you are done playing, click Close and then click Yes to “resign” from the game if

3

cells. In the upper-left area of the board is another

2

HAVING FUN WITH WINDOWS

The secret is to think several moves in the future and never fill up the free cells without having a way to empty them. The game is lost if you have no moves left and haven’t moved all the cards to the home cells. Figure 1-12 shows a game that was played for a few minutes and is all but won. The queen of diamonds is the only card left to move. When all your cards are in order, they will be moved to the home cells automatically and you will be told you won. you did not finish it.

stacks. In the upper-right area are four empty cells, where you will place the suits, beginning

4

with the aces.

2. Start a new game by clicking Game and clicking New Game.

5 6 7

Figure 1-12: A great many people spend a lot of time playing FreeCell.

8

TIP 9

FreeCell has two neat features. You can undo your moves (on the Game menu click Undo or press CTRL+Z) and get a hint (on the Game menu, click Hint or press CTRL+H).

21 21

10



1

How to… Use the Personalization Window

•

Add Windows Program Icons

•

Change Desktop Icons

22

•

•

Change the Start Menu

•

Change the Taskbar

•

Chapter 2

Customizing Windows 7

4

Changing Taskbar Properties

3

Adding Other Program Icons to the Desktop

Permanently Pin Icons to the Taskbar

•

Set and Use the Date and Time

•

Change Ease-of-Access Settings

Customize the Mouse

•

Customize the Keyboard

•

Change Sounds

•

Change Regional Settings

•

Manage Gadgets

Change the Look of Windows 7 An important aspect of Windows that leads to your enjoyment and efficient use of it is how it looks. Windows 7 provides significant flexibility in this area. You can change how the screen looks, including the desktop, the Start menu, and the taskbar.

7

•

6

Using the Control Panel

Windows 7 has many features that can be customized. You can keep the default Windows 7 setup or you can change the display, Start menu, taskbar, and sounds. You can also rearrange the desktop and enable accessibility options.

5

Changing the Notification Area

8

Use the Personalization Window Much of what you see on the Windows 7 screen is controlled by the Personalization window. Open it to make many of the changes in this chapter.

9

Customizing Windows 7

23

10


1

22

NOTE In Windows 7, when you first attempt to change various aspects of the program, you’ll see a User Account Control (UAC) dialog box appear and tell you that Windows needs your permission to continue. This

3

prevents a hacker from changing your system over the Internet or malicious software from harming your computer. When you see these dialog boxes and if you are an administrator and, in fact, want to continue, click

(Several of the features controlled in the Personalization window, such as sounds and the mouse pointer, are discussed on their own later in this chapter.)

1. With Windows 7 running and displayed on your computer, right-click a blank area of the desktop. The desktop context menu is displayed.

2. Click Personalize. The Personalization window opens, as shown in Figure 2-1.

Continue. If you are not logged on as an administrator,

4

you will need to enter a password. If you don’t want to do whatever is being requested, click Cancel. To simplify the instructions in this book, I have left out the UAC dialog box and its associated steps. If you see one while following

5

the instructions here, just process it as you want and continue with the instructions. UAC is discussed in-depth

9

8

7

6

in Chapter 8.

10

Figure 2-1: The Personalization window lets you change the appearance of Windows 7. 24 24

Windows 7 QuickSteps Windows 7 PC QuickSteps GettingCustomizing to Know Your PC

1

TIP just by changing the theme.

You can select a new theme and almost immediately see the changes on the desktop. If you don’t like the changes, select a different theme.

You can use any picture, color, or pattern you want for your desktop background. Windows 7 comes with a number of alternatives. From the Personalization window:

1. Drag the scroll bar on the right and review the themes that are available with Windows 7 (or click Get More Themes Online to view Microsoft’s online library). Click the theme you want to use. With each theme you can select a desktop background and a window color, as well as the sounds used and a screen server.

3

NOTE

CHANGE THE DESKTOP THEMES AND COLORS

22

Themes allow you to control many facets of Windows 7

2. Click Desktop Background. Click the Picture Location down arrow, and select a

4.

At the top of the themes list, click Save Theme to save any changes to or to save a new theme.

5.

In the Save Theme As dialog box, name the theme, and click Save.

6

Click Save Changes to close the Desktop Background window.

5

3.

4

source of pictures (see Figure 2-2), or click Browse and navigate to a location on your computer where you have a picture you want to use (Chapter 3 explains how to navigate on your computer). Click OK, and click the picture or pictures desired.

CHANGE THE RESOLUTION AND TEXT SIZE

Click Display. The Display window will appear, as shown in Figure 2-3.

2.

Click the text and object size you want to use, and click Apply.

3.

Click Adjust Resolution. If you have more than one display device, click Identify. The display’s number appears on each screen. In the Display drop-down list, click the display whose resolution you want to change.

10

25 25

9

Windows 7 QuickSteps Getting Customizing Windows PC QuickSteps to Know Your PC7

8

Figure 2-2: Selecting a background picture causes it to be instantly displayed as your background.

1.

7

Depending on your computer and monitor, you can display Windows 7 with various resolutions and text sizes. You can select the text and object size in the Display window and then go on to adjust the resolution. From the Personalization window:

1

22

NOTE The Advanced Settings link at the right of the Screen Resolution window will provide access to settings that

5

4

3

are specific to your display hardware.

6

Figure 2-3: Increasing the text and object size lets you see less of what’s on the screen, but what you see is larger and possibly easier to read.

4. Click the Resolution drop-down arrow. Drag the slider up or down to adjust the

7

resolution. (You can try this and if you don’t like it, come back and change it.)

5. Click Apply to save the settings and then click the Back arrow in the upper-left area until you are back to the Personalization window.

ALTER THE APPEARANCE OF OBJECTS

8

You can alter the appearance of windows, icons, and dialog boxes, changing their shapes and colors, as well as the font used in those objects. From the Personalization window:

1. Click Window Color at the bottom of the window. The Window Color And Appearance

9

window will appear.

2. Click a different color scheme, if desired; turn off transparency if you don’t like looking

10

through window borders; or change the color intensity.

26 26


1

3. Click Advanced

22 3

Appearance Settings to open the old style (circa Windows XP) Window Color And Appearance dialog box, shown here. Select an object whose color and/or font you want to change, make those changes, and click OK. All settings made here will provide a Windows Classic look or style.

4

4. When you are ready, click

5

OK to close the Window Color And Appearance dialog box. Then click Save Changes to return to the Personalization window.

6

PICK A NEW SCREEN SAVER

7 8

When the computer is left on but not in use, the unchanging image on the screen can be burned into the face of a cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitor. The newer, thin, flat-screen liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors are not as affected by this, but plasma displays can be. To prevent this damage, you can choose to use a screen saver, which constantly changes the image on the screen when the computer is not in use. Windows 7 provides a number of alternative screen savers you can use. From the Personalization window:

1. Click Screen Saver in the lower-right corner. The Screen Saver Settings dialog box appears.

9

2. Click the Screen Saver down arrow, and review the options in the drop-down list. 3. Click a screen saver option to see it previewed in the dialog box (see Figure 2-4). 4. Click Preview to see the screen saver on your full screen. Press ESC to return to the dialog box.


27 27

10

Figure 2-4: You can use your own photos with the Photos screen saver option.

1

22

5. Click the up or down arrow on the Wait spinner to set the time to wait before enabling the screen saver.

6. When you have the screen saver you want, click Settings, if it is enabled, to see what settings are available for your screen saver. With the Photos option, you can select the folder, such as Pictures, from which to display photos.

3

7. When you are ready, click OK to close the dialog box. SELECT THE SOUNDS WINDOWS 7 PLAYS

4

You can select the sounds that are played when various events occur, such as a critical stop or Windows shutdown, in the Sound dialog box. From the Personalization window:

1. Click Sounds. The Sound dialog box will appear, displaying the Sounds tab, as shown in Figure 2-5.

5

2. Click the Sound Scheme down arrow, and select one of the options. 3. Double-click a Program Events option to hear its current sound played. 4. Click the Sounds down arrow to select a different sound for the event. Click Test to hear the sound.

6

5. When you have made all the changes you want to the association of sounds and Figure 2-5: Your sounds can be associated with various events.

events, click Save As to save your changes as a new scheme. Type a name for the new scheme, and click OK.

6. When you are ready, click OK to close the Sound dialog box.

7

USE A DIFFERENT MOUSE POINTER

NOTE 8

By default, Windows smoothes the edges of screen fonts using ClearType. You can adjust how ClearType works from the Personalization window by clicking Display and then in the Display window clicking Adjust ClearType

9

Text. In the ClearType Text Tuner, you can turn ClearType on or off; by clicking Next, you can fine-tune how ClearType operates. ClearType is only effective if you are

10

using a notebook computer or a flat-panel display.

28 28


If it is difficult for you to see the mouse pointer, you can change how it looks and behaves in the Mouse Properties dialog box. From the Personalization window:

1. Click Change Mouse Pointers. The Mouse Properties dialog box will appear with the Pointers tab displayed, as shown in Figure 2-6.

2. Click the Scheme down arrow, and choose the scheme you want to use. 3. If you want to customize a particular mouse pointer, select that pointer, click Browse, locate and select the pointer you want to use, and click Open.

4. Click OK to close the Mouse Properties dialog box.

1 4

1. Right-click a blank area of the desktop, and click Personalize to open the

3

When you first install and start up Windows 7, you will only have a couple icons on the desktop, including the Recycle Bin, which is the only one Windows has by default. Some computer manufacturers may include additional icons. The purpose of having program icons on the desktop, called shortcuts, is to be able to easily start the programs by double-clicking their icons. To add Windows program icons, such as Windows Explorer and Control Panel, to the desktop and customize them:

22

Add Windows Program Icons

Personalization window.

2. Click Change Desktop Icons on the left to open the Desktop Icon Settings dialog box, shown in Figure 2-7.

6

Figure 2-6: The mouse pointer should be easily seen and instantly informative for you.

For example, you might want icons for Computer and Control Panel. The others you might use less often, and they can be quickly accessed from the Start menu.

5

3. In the Desktop Icons area, click one to five icons that you want to have on the desktop.

4. To customize a Windows

7

program icon, click the icon and click Change Icon. A dialog box will appear displaying alternate icons.

5. Select the alternative you want, and click OK.

8

6. When you are satisfied with the Windows program icons you have selected and/or changed, click OK.

9

7. Click the Close button to close the Personalization window. Figure 2-7: Add the icons to the desktop for the programs you use most often. 29 29

10


1

22

Change Desktop Icons When you have the icons that you want on the desktop, you can change the size of the icons, their order, and their alignment through the desktop context menu:

3

Right-click a blank area of the desktop to open the context menu, and click View to open the View submenu.

RESIZE ICONS

5

4

Windows 7 gives you the choice of three different sizes of icons. The size you choose is a function of both the resolution you are using on your display and your personal preference. By default (the way Windows is set up when you first install and/or start it), your icons will be medium size. From the View submenu: Click each of the sizes to see which is best for you. Large

Medium

Small

ALIGN ICONS

6

You can drag desktop icons where you want them; by default, Windows 7 will align your icons to an invisible grid. If you don’t like that, from the View submenu: Click Align To Grid to clear the check mark and allow any arrangement on the desktop that you want.

7

If you should move your icons around and then change your mind, reopen the View submenu, and: Click Align Icons To Grid to reselect it. Your icons will jump to the invisible grid and be aligned.

8

ARRANGE ICONS

10

9

By default, there is no particular order to the icons on the desktop, and you can drag them into the order that suits you. However, you can have Windows arrange and sort the icons in several ways. From the View submenu: Click Auto Arrange Icons. By default, the icons will be placed in a column alphabetically by name, except that the system icons (Computer, Recycle Bin, Internet Explorer, User’s Files, Control Panel, and Network) will be at the top.

30 30


1

UICKSTEPS The method for adding other program icons, or shortcuts,

1. Right-click a blank area of the desktop to open the context menu, and click Sort By to

22

ADDING OTHER PROGRAM ICONS TO THE DESKTOP

If you want to change the order in which Windows 7 arranges desktop icons: open that submenu.

2. Click one of the options to have the icons sorted in that manner.

to the desktop depends on where the icons are.

Click Start to open the menu, and drag the icon from the menu to the desktop. ADD ICONS FROM THE PROGRAMS MENU

2. Locate and point to the icon, hold down the right

When you add program icons to the desktop, they may have the word “Shortcut” in their names, or they may have names that are not meaningful to you. To rename desktop icons:

1. Right-click an icon name you want to change, and click Rename. 2. Type the new name that you want to use, and press ENTER.

4

1. Click Start, and click All Programs.

3

RENAME DESKTOP ICONS ADD ICONS FROM THE START MENU

mouse button, and drag the icon to the desktop. (This is called right-drag.)

ADD ICONS FROM OTHER MENUS

1. Click Start, click All Programs, and open additional folders as needed.

the desktop.

3. Click Copy Here. ADD ICONS NOT ON A MENU

2. In the Computer window, open the drive and folder(s) needed to locate the program (most programs are stored in their own folder within the Program Files folder on the C: drive).

Windows 7 gives you considerable flexibility as to what is displayed on the Start menu and how those items work.

1. Right-click Start and click Properties to open the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box.

2. With the Start Menu tab selected, click Customize. The Customize Start Menu dialog box will appear (see Figure 2-8).

3. Scroll through the list of links, icons, and submenus. Select the ones you want included on the Start menu and indicate how they should operate. Toward the end of the list there is an option that lets you change the size of the icons on the Start menu.

8

3. Drag the program icon to the desktop.

CHANGE WHAT IS DISPLAYED ON THE START MENU

7

1. Click Start, and click Computer.

The Start menu has several areas you can customize, including the size of the icons, the number of programs on it, the programs to use for the Internet and for email, and how the Start menu operates.

6

2. Point to the icon, and right-drag the icon to

Change the Start Menu 5

3. Click Copy Here.

4. Use the Number Of Recent Programs To Display spinner to select the number

Changing the size of Start menu icons only affects the icons on the left of the Start menu. The purpose of smaller icons is to list more programs.

displayed in the lower-left corner of the Start menu.

5. Use the Number Of Recent Items To Display In Jump Lists spinner to select the

9

NOTE

number displayed in jump lists (see Chapter 5).

6. To return to the original default settings, click Use Default Settings. 7. When you have made the changes you want, click OK twice. 31 31

10


1

22

ADD PROGRAMS TO THE START MENU

You can add programs to the upper-left corner of the Start menu (where they will remain unless you remove them).

3

1. Click Start, click All Programs, and open the appropriate folders to display the program you want on the Start menu.

2. Right-click the program and click Pin To Start

4

Menu. The program will appear on the Start menu. For example, if you want to add Internet Explorer, click Start, click All Programs, rightclick Internet Explorer, and click Pin To Start Menu.

5

3. Click outside the Start menu to close it.

6

Figure 2-9 shows a changed Start menu, which you can compare with Figure 1-2 in Chapter 1.

Figure 2-8: You can customize what is displayed on the Start menu and how those items work.

7

TIP To remove a program on the Start menu, click Start, right-click the program, and if it is one you added in the

8

upper-left corner of the menu (semi-permanent area), click Unpin From Start Menu. If the program you want to remove is in the lower-left corner (recently used program area), click Remove From This List. Then click outside

10

9

the Start menu to close it.

Figure 2-9: A Start menu with changes described in this chapter. 32 32


1

NOTE from your user account, as described in Chapter 8. To change this picture, right-click the desktop, click Personalize, click Change Your Account Picture on the left, click one of the pictures shown, click Change or click Browse for More Pictures, navigate to the drive and folder with the picture you want (see Chapter 3),

The taskbar at the bottom of the Windows 7 screen has four standard areas: the Start button on the left, the task list in the middle, and the notification area and the Show Desktop button on the right. In addition, there is an optional “pin-to” area next to the Start menu. You can change the taskbar by moving and sizing it and by changing its properties. Start button

Programs currently running

3

Picture, and Close to close the Personalization window;

Change the Taskbar

22

The picture that is displayed on the Start menu comes

Notification area and clock

click that picture, and click Open. Click Close to close

4

the User Accounts dialog box. Programs pinned to the taskbar

NOTE

Show Desktop button

MOVE AND SIZE THE TASKBAR

next to the notification area that lets you open the Tablet PC Input Panel to enter text on the screen without a

5

You can turn on a second optional area on the taskbar

You can move the taskbar to any of the four sides of the screen. Do this by dragging any empty area of the taskbar to another edge. For example, Figure 2-10 shows the taskbar moved to the right edge of the screen.

keyboard. Instead, you write with a mouse or stylus, or

6

click a keyboard layout on the screen. See the “Changing Taskbar Properties” QuickSteps to see how to turn this on.

7 8 9


33 33

10

Figure 2-10: A taskbar can be moved to any of the four sides of the screen.

1

22

UICKSTEPS CHANGING TASKBAR PROPERTIES

You can size the taskbar by dragging the inner edge (top edge when the taskbar is on the bottom) in or out. Here is a taskbar at double its normal size.

A number of taskbar features can be changed through the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box (see

3

Figure 2-11). OPEN TASKBAR PROPERTIES Right-click on an open area of the taskbar, and

In either case, you must first unlock the taskbar. See the “Changing Taskbar Properties” QuickSteps to do this.

click Properties. The Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box appears with the Taskbar

4

tab selected. (Click Apply to test a change without closing the dialog box.) UNLOCK THE TASKBAR By default, the taskbar is locked. To move or resize the

5

taskbar, it must be unlocked. Click Lock The Taskbar to remove the check mark and unlock the taskbar.

6

HIDE THE TASKBAR

Permanently Pin Icons to the Taskbar Windows 7 provides the ability to permanently “pin,” or attach, frequently used program icons to the taskbar next to the Start button. Once there the icons are always visible (unless you hide the taskbar), and the related program can be started by a single click. By default Windows 7 has three icons pinned to the taskbar: Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, and Media Player. You can pin additional icons, you can remove those that are currently pinned, and you can rearrange the current icons.

Hiding the taskbar means that it is not displayed unless you move the mouse to the edge of the screen containing the taskbar. By default, it is displayed. Click Auto-Hide The Taskbar to select the check

7

box and hide the taskbar. USE SMALL ICONS If you want to conserve desktop space and you have good eyesight, you can make the icons smaller, the size

8

they were in previous versions of Windows. Click Use Small Icons to add a check mark and make the icons smaller. CUSTOMIZE TASKBAR BUTTONS

9

There are three choices for customizing taskbar buttons:

• Always combine similar items and hide the labels, such as program names.

10

Continued . . .

34 34


Figure 2-11: You will use the taskbar often, so it should look and behave the way you want.

1

UICKSTEPS (Continued)

• Combine similar items when the taskbar is full, but display the labels.

circumstances, but display the labels. Combining similar items, for example, puts all Microsoft Word documents in one icon or all Internet pages in one

–Or– Start the program in any of the ways described in Chapter 1. When it has started, rightclick its icon on the taskbar, and click Pin This Program To Taskbar.

4

icon so that they take up less room on the taskbar. By

Locating the program icon in Windows Explorer, any part of the Start menu, or on the desktop, right-clicking it, and clicking Pin To Taskbar.

3

• Never combine similar items under any

After you have used Windows 7 for a while you may find that you use a program more often than others and would like to have it more immediately available. This is what pinning to the taskbar is for. You can do that by either:

22

CHANGING TASKBAR PROPERTIES

PIN AN ICON TO THE TASKBAR

default, similar items are combined. Click the Taskbar Buttons down arrow, and make your choice.

5

USE AERO PEEK Aero Peek allows you to see the desktop and what is under the open windows on the screen when you move the mouse to the Show Desktop button on the far right of the taskbar. This is turned on by default.

REMOVE AN ICON PINNED TO THE TASKBAR

6

To remove a program icon pinned to the taskbar:

Click Use Aero Peek to turn off the check mark and this capability. CLOSE TASKBAR PROPERTIES After you’ve made any of these changes to the taskbar, Menu Properties dialog box.

REARRANGE ICONS PINNED TO THE TASKBAR

The icons that are pinned to the taskbar can be moved around and placed in any order.

7

click OK to enable them and close the Taskbar And Start

Right-click the icon and click Unpin This Program From Taskbar.

Drag icons pinned to the taskbar to where you want them.

NOTE You can pin a file or folder to the Windows Explorer icon

How Windows 7 operates is probably more important to you than how it looks. For that reason, Windows 7 has a number of facilities that allow you to customize its operation.

9

on the taskbar by opening Windows Explorer, navigating

8

Change How Windows 7 Operates

to the file or folder, and dragging it to the Windows Explorer icon on the taskbar.

35 35

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1

22

UICKSTEPS CHANGING THE NOTIFICATION AREA The notification area on the right of the taskbar can

3

also be changed through the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box (see the “Changing Taskbar Properties” QuickSteps for instructions on displaying the dialog box). The notification area, which can get crowded at times, contains program icons put there by Windows

4

and other programs. You can control which icons are displayed along with their notifications, which icons are hidden but their notifications displayed, or not there at all. To change the notification area: Click Customize under Notification Area. The

5

Notification Area Icons window will appear, as shown in Figure 2-12. CUSTOMIZE NOTIFICATION ICONS To customize the behavior of icons in the notification area:

6

Click the drop-down list opposite the icon you want to change, and select the behavior you want. DISPLAY SYSTEM ICONS

7

Up to five system icons—Action Center, Network, Volume,

Figure 2-12: Turn off the notification area icons that are not useful to you.

Power (on mobile computers), and Clock—are shown in the notification area by default. You can turn them off if you wish.

1. Click Turn System Icons On Or Off. 2. Click the drop-down list opposite an icon name,

8

and click Off to not display it.

3. When you have made the changes you want, click OK.

9

CLOSE TASKBAR PROPERTIES After you’ve made any of these changes to the notification area, click OK to enable them and close the Notification Area Icons window. Click OK again to close

10

the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box.

36 36


Set and Use the Date and Time The time and date in the lower-right corner of the screen may seem simple enough, but significant capability lies behind these simple numbers.

1. Move the mouse until your cursor is on the time in the notification area. The current day and date will appear.

1

22

2. Click the time. The full calendar and clock appear. 3. Click Change Date And Time Settings. The Date And Time dialog box will appear, as shown in Figure 2-13.

4. With the Date And Time tab selected, click Change Date And Time. The Date And Time Settings dialog box appears.

3

5. Use the arrows on the calendar to change the month. Or, click the month to display the year, use the arrows to change the year, click the month, and then click a day.

6. Double-click an element of time (hour, minute, second, A.M./P.M.), and use the

4

spinner to change the selected time element. Click OK to close the Date And Time Settings dialog box.

7. Click Change Time Zone, click the Time Zone down arrow, and click your time zone.

8. Click Automatically Adjust Clock For Daylight Saving Time if it isn’t already

5

selected and you want Windows 7 to do that. Click OK to close the Time Zone Settings dialog box.

9. Click the Additional Clocks tab to add one or two clocks with different time zones.

6

Click Additional Clock 1, open the drop-down list box, and click a time zone. Enter a display name, and repeat for a second additional clock, if desired. (The additional times will appear when you point to the time in the notification area.) Click OK when done.

7 8 9

10. Click the Internet Time tab and see how your computer’s time is currently being Figure 2-13: Setting the date and time is normally automated using an Internet time server.

synchronized. If you want to change that, click Change Settings.

37 37

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1

22

NOTE The blue and yellow shield on the Change Date And Time button tells you that the function being selected requires administrator permission. You must be an

open the drop-down list, click a time server, and click Update Now. Once turned on, Windows will check the time every seven days. Click OK to close the Internet Time Settings dialog box.

12. Click OK to close the Date And Time dialog box.

3

administrator or have a password for one.

11. Click Synchronize With An Internet Time Server if it isn’t already selected,

Change Ease-of-Access Settings

4

Ease-of-access settings provide alternatives to the normal way the mouse and keyboard are used, as well as some settings that make the screen more readable and sounds more understandable.

5

1. Right-click a blank area of the screen, click Personalize, and click Ease Of Access Center in the lower-left area. The Ease Of Access Center window will open, as shown in Figure 2-14.

6

–Or– Press and hold the Windows Flag key while pressing U.

2. Select the options you want to use in the common tools

7

area at the top (see the upper part of Table 2-1). You can also turn the options on or off using the keyboard shortcuts shown.

9

8

3. Click any of the blue text links in the lower part of the

Figure 2-14: Ease-of-access settings let you work with Windows 7 and your programs in ways that facilitate use with various physical limitations.

window to review, and possibly change, the easeof-access settings that apply to various areas of the computer. Within links there are a number of assistive tools, shown in the lower part of Table 2-1, that can be turned on, either in these links or with the keyboard shortcuts shown.

4. When you have set up the accessibility options you

10

want, click Close.

38 38


1

TIP options from the Windows 7 logon screen by clicking the Ease Of Access icon in the lower-left corner of the screen.

OPTION

DESCRIPTION

Magnifier

Enlarges a part of the screen around the mouse.

On Screen Keyboard

Displays an image of a keyboard on the screen that you can click to select the appropriate keys.

Narrator

Reads aloud selected text on the screen.

High Contrast

Uses high-contrast colors and special fonts to make the screen easy to use.

Press together left SHIFT, left ALT, and PRINT SCREEN.

Mouse Keys

Uses the numeric keypad to move the mouse around the screen.

Press together left SHIFT and NUM LOCK.

By default, and if you have speakers and a sound card, Windows 7 will scan and read aloud the four options in

Filter Keys

Enables you to press a key twice in rapid succession and have it interpreted as a single keystroke; also slows down the rate at which the key is repeated if it is held down.

Hold down the right SHIFT key for eight seconds.

Toggle Keys

Hear a tone when CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, or SCROLL LOCK is turned on.

Hold down the NUM LOCK key for five seconds.

USING THE CONTROL PANEL Table 2-1: Ease-of-Access Tools

7

The Control Panel is a facility for customizing many

6

UICKSTEPS

5

Press either SHIFT Sticky Keys Simulates pressing a pair of keys, such as CTRL+A, by pressing one key at a time. The keys key five times in SHIFT, CTRL, and ALT “stick” down until a second succession. key is pressed. This is interpreted as two keys pressed together.

4

the Quick Access section.

3

NOTE

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT

22

You can also turn on the most common ease-of-access

of the functions available in Windows. The individual components of the Control Panel are discussed throughout this book (several in this chapter); this section is an introduction to the Control Panel itself.

Click Start and click Control Panel on the right. The Control Panel is displayed. By default, it will be as shown in Figure 2-15. (Mobile computers to them.) Continued . . .

9

will show additional hardware devices unique

The mouse lets you interact with the screen and point at, select, and drag objects. You also can start and stop programs and close Windows using the mouse. While you can use Windows without a mouse, it is more difficult, making it important that the mouse operates in the most comfortable way possible. Change the way the mouse works through the Control Panel Mouse component.

8

OPEN THE CONTROL PANEL

Customize the Mouse

1. Click Start and click Control Panel.

39 39

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1

22

UICKSTEPS USING THE CONTROL PANEL (Continued) SWITCH THE CONTROL PANEL VIEW

3

The Control Panel has three views: the default Category view, shown in Figure 2-15, which groups Control Panel functions, and Large and Small Icons views (Figure 2-16 shows Small Icons view), which show all the Control Panel components in one window.

4

• When in Category view, click the View By down arrow on the right, and click either Large Icons or Small Icons.

• When in Large or Small Icon view, click the View

5

By down arrow on the right, and click Category to switch back to that view. OPEN A CONTROL PANEL CATEGORY Category view groups components into categories that

Figure 2-15: Category view provides a hierarchy of windows that leads you to the settings you want to change.

6

must be opened to see the individual components, although some subcategories are listed. Click a category to open a window for it, where

click Mouse.

you can either select a task you want to do or

–Or–

open a Control Panel component represented by

7

an icon. OPEN A CONTROL PANEL COMPONENT When Category view’s secondary windows are opened in the previous step, the icons for individual Control

8

2. In Category view, click Hardware And Sound, and under Devices And Printers,

Panel component icons are displayed. In either Large

In Large or Small Icons view, click Mouse. Either way, the Mouse Properties dialog box will appear, as you can see in Figure 2-17.

3. If you want to use the mouse with your left hand, click Switch Primary And Secondary Buttons.

4. Double-click the folder in the middle-right area of the Buttons tab. If the folder opens,

displayed. To open a component:

your double-click speed is okay. If not, drag the Speed slider until the folder opens when you double-click it.

Click the component’s icon.

5. Select the options you want to use on the Buttons, Pointer Options, Wheel, and

or Small Icons view, these component icons are directly

9

Hardware tabs.

6. Click the Pointers tab. If you want to change the way the pointer looks, select a different scheme (see “Use a Different Mouse Pointer,” earlier in the chapter).

10

7. When you have set up the mouse the way you want, click OK. 40 40


1

NOTE

22

Many Control Panel components are also available from other locations. For example, the Date And Time component opens the same dialog box that appears when you click the time in the taskbar.

3

NOTE If you have purchased a mouse separately from your

4

computer and have installed its software, your tabs may be different and its features may not be as described here.

5 6

Figure 2-16: The Control Panel’s Small Icons view shows all of the components in the Control Panel.

7

Customize the Keyboard

9

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. 2. In Category view, click Large or Small Icons view, and then click Keyboard. The Keyboard Properties dialog box appears. Figure 2-17: The mouse is the primary way you operate in Windows 7.

8

Windows requires a keyboard for manual communications (speech recognition can replace the keyboard in many instances). You can change the length of the delay before a key that is held down is repeated and the rate at which the key is repeated.

3. Click in the text box in the middle of the dialog box, and press a character key to see how long you wait before the key is repeated and how fast the repeated character appears. 41 41

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1

22

4. Drag the Repeat Delay slider in the direction desired, and then test the repetition again.

3

5. Drag the Repeat Rate slider in the direction desired, and then test the repetition again. 6. Drag the Cursor Blink Rate slider in the direction desired, and observe the blink rate. 7. When you have set up the keyboard the way you want, click OK.

Change Sounds 4

Windows 7 uses sounds to alert and entertain you. Through the Control Panel’s Sound component, you can select the sound scheme you want (see Figure 2-18).

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. 2. In Category view, click Hardware And Sound, and then click Sound.

5

–Or– In Large or Small Icons view, click Sound. In either case, the Sound dialog box appears.

3. Click Speakers, click Configure in the lower-left corner, select your

6

configuration in the Audio Channels list, and click Test to test your setup. When you are ready, click Next.

4. Click the speakers that aren’t present, and click Next. Click the speakers that are full-range speakers, and click Next. When you are done, click Finish.

7

5. Double-click Speakers, click the Levels tab, and drag the sliders in the direction desired to set the volume. Click OK to close the Speakers Properties dialog box.

8

6. Click the Sounds tab, and select a different sound scheme to change it, Figure 2-18: Windows 7 can handle up to seven-speaker surround sound.

if desired (see “Select the Sounds Windows 7 Plays” earlier in the chapter).

7. When you have set up the sounds the way you want, click OK.

9

Change Regional Settings

10

Windows 7 lets you determine how numbers, dates, currency, and time are displayed and used, as well as the languages that will be used. Choosing a

42 42


1

Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click Clock, Language, And Region, and then click Region And Language.

3

1. 2.

22

primary language and locale sets all the other settings. You can customize these options through the Region And Language component in the Control Panel.

–Or– In Large or Small Icons view, click Region And Language.

4.

Customize the date and time formats by clicking the down arrow associated with each setting and selecting the option that you want.

5.

Click Additional Settings and then go to the individual tabs for numbers, currency, time, and date, and set how you want these items displayed. Click OK when you are done.

6.

Review the Location, Keyboards And Languages, and Administrative tabs, and make any desired changes.

7.

When you have set up the regional settings the way you want, click OK.

6

In the Formats tab, click the Format drop-down list, and select the primary language and region in which the computer will be used. This changes the standards and formats that will be used by default.

5 7

Figure 2-19: Region and language options allow Windows 7 to operate almost anywhere in the world.

3.

4

In either case, the Region And Language dialog box will appear, as you can see in Figure 2-19.

Manage Gadgets

Changing the format used for dates and times might affect other Windows programs, such as Excel.

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. 2. In Category view, click Appearance And Personalization, and then click Desktop

8

CAUTION

The Gadgets feature displays a clock and other gadgets—initially on the right side of the screen, but they can be moved. To manage gadgets:

Gadgets.

9

–Or– In Large or Small Icons view, click Desktop Gadgets. In either case, the Gadgets window will open.

43 43

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1

22 3

NOTE Some gadgets cost money, and you need to be aware of

5

4

that when you select them.

3. Double-click the gadgets that you want displayed. 4. If you want to see more gadgets, click Get More Gadgets Online. Internet Explorer

6

will open and display the gadgets that are available. Under the gadget that you want, click Download Gadget and then click Download. On the Windows Live page that appears, review the gadget, and click the Download button. Click Save, navigate to a folder in which you want the gadget stored, and click Save again. Close Internet Explorer, open Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder in which you stored the gadget, and double-click it. Click Install. The new gadget appears on your desktop

7

5. When you are ready, click Close to close the Gadgets window. Gadgets for headlines,

10

9

8

stocks, and traffic are shown here on a desktop.

44 44


1

How to… Open Windows Explorer

2

•

Changing the Windows Explorer Layout

•

Use Windows Explorer Menus

•

Identify Storage Devices

•

Select and Open Drives and Folders

•

Navigate Folders and Disks Renaming and Deleting Files and Folders

•

Select Multiple Files and Folders

•

Use the Recycle Bin

•

Create Shortcuts

•

Search for Files and Folders

Create Files

•

Encrypt Files and Folders

•

Change Other File and Folder Attributes Zipping Files and Folders

•

Back Up Files and Folders

•

9

Managing Disks

In this chapter you’ll see how to create, use, and manage files and folders like these. The term “objects” is used to refer to any mix of files, folders, and disk drives.

8

•

7

Copying and Moving Files and Folders

The information on your computer—documents, email, photographs, music, and programs—is stored in files. So that your files are organized and more easily found, they are kept in folders, and folders can be placed in other folders for further organization. For example, a folder labeled “Trips,” which is contained in the My Documents folder, contains separate folders for the years 2008, 2009, and 2010. The 2009 folder contains folders for Yellowstone and Disneyland. The Yellowstone folder contains folders of photos and videos, as well as files for notes and expenses. Such a set of files and folders is shown in the My Documents folder in Figure 3-1.

6

Create New Folders

Storing Information

5

•

Chapter 3

4

Customize Windows Explorer

33

•

Write Files and Folders to a CD or DVD

Storing Information

45

10


1 2

Use the Windows File System

33

The tool that Windows 7 provides to locate and work with files and folders is Windows Explorer (often called “Explorer,” not to be confused with Internet Explorer discussed in Chapter 4). Windows Explorer has a number of components and features, most of which are shown in Figure 3-2 and described in Table 3-1. Much of this chapter is spent exploring these items and how they are used.

5

4

When you open Windows Explorer, you can choose what you want it to initially display from among the choices to the right of the Start menu. These choices give you access to (from top to bottom):

Back

Your personal folder, which contains your documents, pictures, music, and games

•

Your documents Forward

Address bar

Toolbar

Refresh

Search box

10

9

8

7

6

Figure 3-1: Windows stores files in folders, which can be within other folders.

•

Figure 3-2: Windows Explorer provides the means to access files, folders, disks, and memory devices on your computer. Navigation pane

46 46

Windows 7 QuickSteps Information PC QuickSteps GettingStoring to Know Your PC

Subject pane

Details pane

Preview pane

1

Back and Forward buttons

Displays an object previously shown

Address bar

Displays the location of what is being shown in the subject pane

Toolbar

Contains tools to work with objects in the subject pane

33

Refresh

Updates what is displayed in the address bar

Search box

Provides for the entry of text you want to search for

Preview pane

Displays the contents of the object selected in the subject pane

Details pane

Provides information about the object selected in the subject pane

Subject pane

Displays the objects stored at the address shown in the address bar

Navigation pane

Facilitates moving around among the objects you have available

4

Depending on the permissions you have and whether

FUNCTION

2

NOTE

AREA

Table 3-1: Windows Explorer Components

5

you are connected to a network, you may have Network on your Start menu.

Your pictures Your music

6

• • • •

Your games The computer on which you are working

7

Open Windows Explorer To open Windows Explorer: Start your computer, if it’s not running, and log on to Windows if necessary.

3.

Click your personal folder. Explorer will open and display in the subject pane the files and folders that either come standard with Windows 7 or that have been placed there by you or somebody else, as shown in Figure 3-3.

Click Start. The Start menu will open, and you’ll see the Windows Explorer choices on the right of the menu.

8

1. 2.

9

Figure 3-3: Windows 7 starts with a number of standard folders that are a part of the personal folder.

47 47

10


1

UICKSTEPS 2

You can:

CHANGING THE WINDOWS EXPLORER LAYOUT

Click an object in the subject pane to select it and get information about it in the details pane, preview it in the preview pane, or use the toolbar tools with that object.

As you saw in Figure 3-2, the Windows Explorer window

–Or–

33

has several different panes that you may want to use.

Double-click an object in the subject pane to open it so that you can see and work with its contents.

You can turn them on or off through the Organize menu’s Layout options.

Customize Windows Explorer 4

You can customize how Windows Explorer looks and which features are available with the toolbar. OPEN LAYOUT OPTIONS Click Organize on the toolbar, and then click

1. If Windows Explorer is not already open, click Start and click your personal folder. 2. Click Pictures in the navigation pane, and then double-click Sample Pictures in the subject pane. Windows 7’s sample pictures should open, as you can see in Figure 3-4.

5

Layout. The Layout options are displayed for turning on or off the

3.

Click one of the pictures. The toolbar changes to something like this:

menu bar and the details, preview, and navigation panes.

6

By default, the details and navigation panes are on. TURN ON THE PREVIEW PANE With the Layout options displayed: Click Preview Pane.

7

–Or– Click Show The Preview Pane at the right of the toolbar. TURN OFF THE DETAILS PANE

8

With the Layout options displayed:

9

Click Details Pane.

10

Figure 3-4: Windows Explorer’s toolbar changes to provide commands for what is selected in the subject pane. 48 48


1 2

These toolbar options are specific to a picture. The selection of other types of files would have generated different options.

5.

Click the Views down arrow (not the Views button, which gives you another view of your folder) on the right of the toolbar. Drag the slider up and down to change first the size of the objects in your folder, and, as you continue downward, the arrangement of the objects.

6.

Click the Views down arrow, and click Details, which is shown in Figure 3-5.

7.

Click Name at the top of the left column in the subject pane. The contents of the subject pane will be sorted alphanumerically by name. Click Name again, and the contents will be sorted by name in the opposite direction.

4

Click Organize to open the Organize menu. Here you can perform operations on the object you have selected using menu options such as Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, and Rename, and perform folder-related operations with menu options such as Layout, Folder and Search Options, and Close.

33

4.

5

Click one of the other column headings, and then click the same column heading again to see the contents sorted that way, first in one direction, and then in the other.

9.

Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the Explorer window to close it.

6

8.

7

Use Windows Explorer Menus

Figure 3-5: Folder Details view gives you further information about the objects in a folder.

Click Start, click Pictures, and then click Sample Pictures to open the Windows Explorer window and display the sample pictures.

49 49

10


9

1.

8

The Windows 7 Explorer does not display the menu bar by default, although earlier versions of Windows Explorer did. Most of the menu commands are available on the toolbar, but, if you prefer, you can turn on and use the menus.

1

Click Organize, click Layout, and click Menu Bar. The Windows Explorer menu bar will appear between the address bar and the toolbar.

3.

Click the File, Edit, and View menus, and review the available options. The toolbar’s Organize and View menus in Windows 7 Explorer, along with the features of the column heading, replace many of the options in the first three menus on the menu bar. The Help menu is equivalent to the Help icon on the toolbar.

33

2

2.

4

4.

Click the Tools menu. The first three options are discussed in Chapter 9. Click Folder And Search Options (also available from the Organize menu). The Folder Options dialog box will appear with the General tab displayed, as shown in Figure 3-6. This allows you to:

5

• Open a new window for each folder you open. • Use a single click in place of a double-click to open a window. • If you choose single click, you can also determine whether to permanently underline an icon title, as in an Internet browser, or underline an icon only when you point at it.

6

• Display more or fewer folders in the navigation pane.

Figure 3-6: Folder options allow you to determine how folders look and behave.

Click the View tab, which is shown in Figure 3-7. This gives you a number of options that determine what is displayed for the current folder and allow you to apply these changes to all folders. The default settings generally work for most people.

9

8

7

5.

10

Figure 3-7: There are a number of options in the way that Explorer can display folder and file information.

50 50


1

When you are ready, click OK to close the Folder Options dialog box. (The Search tab will be discussed under “Search for Files and Folders” later in this chapter.)

7. 8.

If you want to turn off the menu bar, click Organize, click Layout, and click Menu Bar. Click Close to close the Explorer window.

4 5 6

The purpose of a file system, of course, is to locate and use the files and folders on your computer, and possibly on other computers connected to yours (accessing other computers is called networking and is discussed in Chapters 9 and 10). Within your computer, there is a storage hierarchy that starts with storage devices, such as disk drives, which are divided into areas called folders, each of which may be divided again into subareas called subfolders. Each of these contains files, which can be documents, pictures, music, and other data. Figure 3-1 showed folders containing subfolders and eventually containing files with information in them. Figure 3-8 shows a computer containing disk drives, which in turn contain folders. Windows Explorer contains a number of tools for locating, opening, and using disk drives, folders, and files.

33

Locate and Use Files and Folders

Figure 3-8: Your computer stores information in a hierarchy of disk drives and folders.

2

6.

Identify Storage Devices

8

Primary floppy disk, labeled “A:” Primary hard disk, labeled “C:” CD or DVD drive, labeled “D:”

9

• • • •

7

Files and folders are stored on various physical storage devices, including disk drives, CD and DVD drives, memory cards and sticks, and Universal Serial Bus (USB) flash memory. You will have some, but not necessarily all, of the following:

Other storage devices, labeled “E:” and then “F:” and so on

Your primary floppy drive is always labeled “A:” (given that you still have one— most new computers don’t). Your primary hard disk is always labeled “C:.” 51 51

10


1 2

Other drives have flexible labeling. Often, the CD or DVD drive will be drive “D:,” but if you have a second hard disk drive, it may be labeled “D,” as you saw in Figure 3-8.

33

Select and Open Drives and Folders

7

6

5

4

When you open Windows Explorer and display the items in Computer, you see the disk drives and other storage devices on your computer, as well as several folders, including Program Files, Users, and Windows, as you saw in Figure 3-8. To work with these drives and folders, you must select them; to see and work with their contents, you must open them.

1.

Click Start and click Computer to open Windows Explorer and display the local disk drives.

2.

In the subject pane (right pane), click disk (C:). Disk (C:) will be highlighted and its characteristics will be displayed in the details pane (bottom pane).

3.

Double-click disk (C:) in any pane. Disk (C:) will open and its folders will be displayed in the subject pane.

4.

Double-click Users to open that folder and display your folder along with a Public folder.

5.

Double-click your personal folder (the folder with your name on it). The subject pane displays the files and folders in your folder. This will include Contacts, Desktop, My Documents, My Music, and others, as shown in Figure 3-9.

6.

Keep double-clicking each folder to open it until you see the contents you are looking for.

9

8

Navigate Folders and Disks

10

Figure 3-9: Double-clicking a drive or folder will open it in the subject pane.

52 52


Opening Windows Explorer and navigating through several folders— beginning with your hard disk—to find a file you want is fine. However, if you want to quickly go to another folder or file, you won’t want to have to start with your hard disk every single time. The Windows 7 Explorer gives you three ways to do this: through the Libraries folder in the navigation pane, by using the folder tree in the navigation pane, or by using the address bar.

1

NAVIGATE USING LIBRARIES

2

33

The Windows 7 suggested way to navigate is through the Libraries folder, which contains links to the folders within your personal folder (called a “library” in this case, as shown here). By clicking a library in the navigation pane and then double-clicking folders within the subject pane, you can move around the folders and files within your personal folder. For example, given the folder structure shown in Figure 3-1, here are the steps to open the hypothetical Yellowstone folder:

1. Click Start and click Documents, which opens the Documents library within your personal Libraries folder.

4

2. In the navigation pane, click the right-pointing triangle or arrow opposite the Documents library to open it.

3. Still in the navigation page, click the right-pointing arrow opposite My Documents to open it.

5

4. If you had such a set of folders, you would repeat step 3 to open the Trips and 2009 folders, and then click the Yellowstone folder to open it in the subject pane.

NAVIGATE USING FOLDERS

It is easy to get confused with the various folders in the navigation pane. Both Favorites and Libraries are folders with shortcuts, or links to folders and files on your

Click Start and click Computer, which opens Computer in the navigation pane, as you saw in Figure 3-8.

2.

In the navigation pane, click the right-pointing arrow opposite (C:) disk drive to open it.

3.

Still in the navigation page, click the right-pointing arrow opposite Users to open it.

4.

Repeat step 3 to open your personal folder and then the My Documents, Trips, and 2009 folders.

5.

Click the Yellowstone folder to open it in the subject pane.

The shortcuts in Libraries are links to the actual folders in the C:/Users/Personal Folder/My Documents, as you can see in “Navigate Using Folders.”

TIP

9

The folder tree is also useful for copying and moving files

8

1.

7

computer. (See “Create Shortcuts” later in this chapter.)

The portion of the navigation pane starting with Computer is a folder tree that contains all the disk drives, folders, and files on your computer in a tree, or hierarchical, structure. To open the same folder structure shown in Figure 3-1 through Computer:

6

TIP

and folders, as you will see in the “Copying and Moving Files and Folders” QuickSteps in this chapter.

You can see that Libraries saves a couple of steps, but at the cost of possible confusion. 53 53

10


1 2

TIP

NAVIGATE USING THE ADDRESS BAR

The small down arrow between the Forward button and the address bar displays a list of disks and folders that

33

you recently displayed.

UICKSTEPS

4

RENAMING AND DELETING FILES AND FOLDERS

By clicking the down arrow on the far right of the address bar, you can see how this same address looked in previous versions of Windows and use the address bar as it was in the past:

Sometimes, a file or folder needs to be renamed or deleted (whether it was created by you or by an application) because you may no longer need it or for any number of reasons.

5

Windows 7 gives you another way to quickly navigate through your drives and folders by clicking segments of a folder address in the address bar, which looks like this:

RENAME A FILE OR FOLDER With the file or folder in view but not selected, to rename it:

With Windows 7, if you click any segment of the address, you will open that level in the subject pane. If you click the arrow to the right of the segment, it displays a drop-down list of subfolders that you can jump to. By successively clicking segments and their subordinate folders, you can easily move throughout the storage space on your computer and beyond to any network you are connected to.

In the subject pane, slowly click the name twice

6

(don’t double-click), type the new name, and press ENTER.

–Or– In either the navigation or subject pane, right-click

7

the name, click Rename, type the new name, and press ENTER.

8

With the file or folder in view in either the navigation or

DELETE, and click Yes to confirm the deletion.

–Or–

9

1. Click Start and click Documents. Make sure nothing is selected. 2. Click New Folder on the toolbar. A new folder will appear with its name highlighted.

subject pane, to delete it: Click the icon for the file or folder to select it, press

Right-click the icon, click Delete, and click Yes to confirm the deletion. Continued . . .

10

While you could store all your files within one of the ready-made folders in Windows 7—such as Documents, Music, or Pictures—you will probably want to make your files easier to find by creating several subfolders. For example, to create the Trips folder discussed earlier:

DELETE A FILE OR FOLDER TO THE RECYCLE BIN

54 54

Create New Folders


3. Type the name of the folder, such as Trips, and press ENTER. Doubleclick your new folder to open it (you will see it’s empty).

As an alternative to clicking New Folder on the toolbar, right-click the open area in the subject pane of Windows Explorer. Click New and click Folder. Type a name for the folder, and press ENTER.

1

UICKSTEPS RECOVER A DELETED FILE OR FOLDER

Select Multiple Files and Folders Often, you will want to do one or more operations—such as copy, move, or delete—on several files and/or folders at the same time. To select several files or folders from the subject pane of an Explorer window:

2

RENAMING AND DELETING FILES AND FOLDERS (Continued) To recover a file or folder that has been deleted:

only works if you perform the undo operation immediately after the deletion. –Or–

desktop to display the Recycle Bin. Right-click the file or folder icon, and

–Or– Click the first object, and press and hold CTRL while clicking the remaining objects, if the objects are noncontiguous (not adjacent to each other). If the objects are contiguous, click the first object, press and hold SHIFT, and click the last object.

4

Double-click the Recycle Bin on the

Move the mouse pointer to the upper-left area, just outside of the top and leftmost object. Then drag the mouse to the lower-right area, just outside of the bottom and rightmost object, creating a shading across the objects, as shown in Figure 3-10.

33

Click the Organize menu, and click Undo. This

choose Restore.

5

PERMANENTLY DELETE A FILE OR FOLDER If you’re sure you want to permanently delete a file or folder: Click the icon to select it, press and hold SHIFT

6

while pressing DELETE, and click Yes to confirm the permanent deletion. –Or– Right-click the icon, press and hold SHIFT while clicking Delete, and click Yes to confirm the

7

permanent deletion.

8

TIP To select all objects in the subject pane, click Organize and click Select All; or click any object in the subject pane, and press CTRL+A.

9

Figure 3-10: Drag across multiple objects to select all of them.

55 55

10


1 2

Use the Recycle Bin

33

If you do a normal delete operation in Explorer or the desktop, the deleted item or items will go into the Recycle Bin. Should you change your mind about the deletion, you can reclaim an item from the Recycle Bin, as explained in the “Renaming and Deleting Files and Folders” QuickSteps earlier in this chapter.

5

4

The Recycle Bin is a special folder and it can contain both files and folders. You can open it and see its contents as you would any other folder by doubleclicking its desktop icon or clicking it in the navigation pane. Figure 3-11 shows a Recycle Bin after deleting several files and folders. What makes the Recycle Bin special are the two special tasks in the toolbar:


•

Restore All Items returns all the contents to their original folders, in effect, “undeleting” all of the contents.

1.

Right-click the Recycle Bin on the desktop, and click Properties. The Recycle Bin Properties dialog box will appear, as you can see here.

2.

If you have multiple hard disks, select the drive you want to set. In any case, make sure Custom Size is selected, select the size, and type the number of megabytes you want to use (“3082” megabytes is 3.082 gigabytes).

3.

If you don’t want to use the Recycle Bin, click Don’t Move Files To The Recycle Bin. (This is strongly discouraged since this means that files will be permanently deleted with no hope of recovery.)

4.

If you don’t need to see the deletion confirmation message, click that check box to deselect it. (Again this is discouraged since it tells you what is happening to the files in case it is not what you want.)

5.

When you are ready, click OK to close the dialog box.

8 9 10

56 56

Empty The Recycle Bin permanently removes all of the contents of the Recycle Bin.

Obviously, there is a limit to how much the Recycle Bin can hold. You can limit the amount of space it takes so that it doesn’t take over your hard disk. That and other settings are configured in the Recycle Bin’s Properties dialog box.

7

6

Figure 3-11: The Recycle Bin holds deleted items so that you can recover them until you empty it.

•

1

TIP navigation pane and have the destination folder visible so you can drag to it the icon for which you want to create a shortcut.

Create Shortcuts

2.

If it is a program file (one identified as an “application” or with an .exe extension), drag it to a different folder (as from a folder to the desktop).

3.

If it is any other file or folder, hold down the right mouse button while dragging the file or folder to a different folder, release the right mouse button, and then click Create Shortcuts Here.

5

In Windows Explorer, locate the folder or file for which you want to create a shortcut.

4

1.

33

A shortcut is a link to a file or folder that allows you to quickly open the file or folder from places other than where it is stored. For example, you can start a program from the desktop even though the actual program file is stored in some other folder. To create a shortcut:

2

You may want to have the folder tree visible in the

–Or–

1. In Windows Explorer, open the folder in which you want to create a shortcut. 2. Right-click a blank area in the subject pane of the folder, click New, and click Shortcut.

6

ways: “Shortcut” is in its title (unless you’ve renamed it), and an upward-pointing arrow is in the lower-left corner of the icon, like this:

4.

Click OK, and click Next. Type a name for the shortcut, and click Finish.

Search for Files and Folders With large and, possibly several, hard disks, it is often difficult to find files and folders on a system. Windows Explorer’s Search feature addresses that problem.

1.

57 57

10


9

Click Start and notice the blinking cursor in the Search Programs And Files text box at the bottom of the menu.

8

You can tell if an object is a shortcut in two

In the dialog box that appears, click Browse, and use the folder tree to locate and select the file or folder for which you want to make a shortcut.

7

NOTE

3.

1 2

UICKSTEPS

2.

COPYING AND MOVING FILES AND FOLDERS Copying and moving files and folders are similar actions,

33

and can be done with the mouse alone, with the mouse and a menu, and with the keyboard. COPY WITH THE MOUSE

Initially, the search will be of all indexed files (Windows 7, by default, will index your files and folders automatically) and will show all results.

To copy with the mouse, hold down CTRL while dragging

4

any file or folder from one folder to another on the same disk drive, or drag a file or folder from one disk drive to another. MOVE NON-PROGRAM FILES ON THE SAME DISK WITH THE MOUSE

3.

If you see the file or folder you are searching for, click it and it will be displayed in Windows Explorer (if a folder) or in the program that created it (if a file).

4.

If you want to see more results, click See More Results at the bottom of the menu. Windows Explorer will open. Review the list in the subject pane; if you see the file or folder you want, click it to open it.

5.

If you still are not finding what you want, scroll the subject pane to the bottom and you’ll see some additional options, as shown in Figure 3-12.

6.

In the Search Again In options, you can choose one of three specific places to search, or click Customize to select one or more other places to search.

7.

To filter the search results, click in the search text box in the upper-right corner of the Windows Explorer window. Four options will appear that let you filter the search results by the kind of file, the date it was modified, the type or size of the file, or the file name (the last only appears if you select one of the other options).

8.

To change search options, click Organize in the toolbar, and click Folder And Search Options. The Folder Options dialog box will appear. Click the Search tab. Make any change to the settings that you want, and click OK.

5

Move non-program files from one folder to another on the same disk with the mouse by dragging the file or folder. MOVE NON-PROGRAM FILES TO ANOTHER DISK WITH THE MOUSE

6

Move non-program files to another disk by holding down SHIFT while dragging them.

MOVE PROGRAM FILES WITH THE MOUSE Move program files to another folder or disk by holding

7

down SHIFT while dragging them. COPY AND MOVE WITH THE MOUSE AND A MENU To copy and move with a mouse and a menu, hold down the right mouse button while dragging the file or folder.

8

When you release the right mouse button, a context menu opens and allows you to choose whether to copy, move, or create

10

9

a shortcut (see “Create Shortcuts” in this chapter). Continued . . .

58 58


Type all or part of the folder name, file name, or keyword or phrase in a file in the Search box. As you type, Windows 7 will start locating files and folders that match your criteria and display them in the top of the Start menu.

1

UICKSTEPS 2

COPYING AND MOVING FILES AND FOLDERS (Continued) COPY AND MOVE WITH THE KEYBOARD Copying and moving with the keyboard is done with three

33

sets of keys:

• CTRL+C (“Copy”) copies the selected item to the Windows Clipboard.

• CTRL+X (“Cut”) moves the selected item to the

4

Windows Clipboard, deleting it from its original location.

• CTRL+V (“Paste”) copies the current contents of the Windows Clipboard to the currently open

5

folder. You can repeatedly paste the same Clipboard contents to any additional folders you want to copy to by opening them and pressing CTRL+V again.

To copy a file or folder from one folder to another using

1. In Windows Explorer, open the disk and folder containing the file or folder to be copied.

6

the keyboard: Figure 3-12: You may need to refine your search criteria to get only the files you are looking for.

2. Select the file or folder, and press CTRL+C to copy

9.

3. Open the disk and folder that is to be the destination of the copied item.

4. Press CTRL+V to paste the file or folder into the

10.

When you are done, close Windows Explorer.

8

destination folder.

If you want to save the search, click Save Search on the toolbar, select the folder in which you want to store the file, type the file name, and click Save. If you don’t select another folder, saved searches are available in the Searches folder by default. Saved searches also appear under Favorites in the navigation pane.

7

the file or folder to the Clipboard.

Create Files

TIP the object’s context menu (by right-clicking the object) or from the Organize menu in Windows Explorer.

1.

9

You can also use the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands in

Files are usually created by applications or by copying existing files; however, Windows has an additional file-creation capability that creates an empty file for a particular application. Click Start, click Documents, and open the folder in which you want to create the new file. 59 59

10


1

Right-click a blank area of the subject pane in Windows Explorer, and choose New. A menu of all the file types that can be created by the registered applications on your computer will appear.

3.

Click the file type you want to create. If you want to work on the file, double-click it to open it in its application.

33

2

2.

Encrypt Files and Folders

1.

Click Start and click Computer. In the navigation pane, open the drive and folders necessary to display the files or folders you want to encrypt in the subject pane.

2.

Right-click the file or folder, and choose Properties. In the General tab, click Advanced. The Advanced Attributes dialog box appears.

3.

Click Encrypt Contents To Secure Data.

4.

Click OK twice.

6

5

4

Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions, but not Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, or Home Premium editions, have the ability to encrypt files and folders so that they cannot be read without the key to decrypt them. The key is attached to the person who performed the encryption. When she or he logs on to the computer, the files can be used as if they were not encrypted. If someone else logs on, the files cannot be accessed. Even if someone takes the disk to another computer, all that will be displayed is gibberish. To encrypt a file or folder:

7

NOTE You can let someone else use an encrypted file by giving him or her your logon user name and password. In addition, in many organizations, an administrator will be lost through encryption.

If you are encrypting a file, you will see an Encryption Warning dialog box stating that the file is not in an encrypted folder, which means that when you

10

9

8

have the ability to decrypt files so that information cannot

60 60


1

TIP and deselect the relevant option.

edit the file, temporary or backup files might be created that are not encrypted. Options include whether to encrypt the file and its parent folder or just the file.

4

Choose the option you want, and click OK. You may see a message from the Encrypting File System that you should back up your encryption key. Click the icon in the notification area to choose how you want to back up your key. The title under the file or folder icon turns a different color, normally green.

33

If you are encrypting a folder, you will see a Confirm Attribute Changes dialog box that asks if the change applies to this folder only or applies to this folder and its subfolders and files.

2

To remove encryption, follow the steps used to encrypt

Change Other File and Folder Attributes 5

Encryption, described in the previous section, is one of five or six file or folder attributes. The others are shown in Table 3-2. To set the additional attributes:

It is recommended that folders rather than files be the

1.

Click Start and click Computer. In the navigation pane, open the drive and folders necessary to display in the subject pane the files or folders whose attributes you want to set.

6

TIP encrypting container, because many applications save temporary and secondary files during execution.

DESCRIPTION

Read-Only

The file or folder cannot be changed.

Hidden

The file or folder cannot be seen unless Show Hidden Files, Folders, And Drives is selected in the Folder Options View tab.

File Or Folder Is Ready For Archiving

This serves as a flag to backup programs that the file or folder is ready to be backed up.

NOTE done since the advent of zipping a file (see the “Zipping Files and Folders” QuickSteps later in this chapter), which is more efficient (makes smaller files) and can be Also, a file or folder that has been compressed with attributes cannot also be encrypted and vice versa.

Allow Files In This Folder This allows the Windows Indexing Service to index the file Or This File To Have or folder so that searching for the file can be done quickly. Contents Indexed (See Chapter 6 for how to use the Indexing Service.) Compress Contents To Save Disk Space

The file or folder is rewritten on the disk in compressed format. The file can still be read, but it will take a little longer while it is decompressed.

9

more easily “unzipped” or decompressed by most people.

8

Using the attribute to compress a file or folder is seldom

7

ATTRIBUTE

Table 3-2: Additional File and Folder Attributes 61 61

10


1 2

CAUTION changed by anyone who knows about them, they are not

33

intended to be used as significant security measures.

UICKSTEPS

Right-click the file or folder, and choose Properties. In the General tab, you can click Read-Only and Hidden. Do that if you wish, and click OK.

3.

If you want to set archiving or indexing, click Advanced. The Advanced Attributes dialog box appears.

4.

Click the attribute you want to set, and click OK twice.

Back Up Files and Folders

ZIPPING FILES AND FOLDERS Windows 7 has a way to compress files and folders

4

2.

Since read-only and hidden files or folders can be easily

called “zipping.” Zipped files have the extension .zip and

Backing up copies important files and folders on your disk and writes them on another device, such as a recordable CD or DVD, a USB flash drive, or to another hard disk. To start the backup process:

are compatible with programs like WinZip. Zipped files take up less room on a disk and are transmitted over the

1.

Click Start, click Control Panel, click System And Security, and click Backup And Restore. If this is the first time you are doing a backup, you will be asked to set up Windows Backup.

2.

Click Set Up Backup. The Set Up Backup dialog box will appear, as shown in Figure 3-13.

3. 4.

Click a local backup destination drive or click Save On A Network.

5.

Click Next. Accept the recommended Let Windows Choose What To Backup or click Let Me Choose, and then click Next.

5

Internet faster. CREATE A ZIPPED FOLDER You can create a new zipped folder and drag files to it.

1. Click Start and click Documents. 2. Navigate to the folder that you want to contain the

6

zipped folder.

3. Right-click in a blank area of the subject pane, click New, and click Compressed (Zipped) Folder.

7

The zipped folder will appear.

4. Click the folder name, type a new name, and drag files and folders into it to compress them.

8

SEND FILES OR FOLDERS TO A ZIPPED FOLDER

1. In Windows Explorer, select the files and/or folders you want zipped.

2. Right-click the selected objects, click Send To, and click Compressed (Zipped) Folder. A new

9

zipped folder will appear containing the original files and/or folders, now compressed.

10

Continued . . .

62 62


If you chose to save on a network, click Browse, select a network drive and folder where you want the backup, click OK, and enter your network user name and password. Click OK. The network drive will appear on the list of destination drives. Click it.

1

UICKSTEPS 2

ZIPPING FILES AND FOLDERS (Continued) EXTRACT ZIPPED FILES AND FOLDERS To unzip a file or folder, simply drag it out of the zipped

33

folder, or you can extract all of a zipped folder’s contents.

1. Right-click a zipped folder, and click Extract All. The Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders dialog box will appear.

4

2. Enter or browse to the location where you want the extracted files and folders, and click Extract.

3. Close Windows Explorer when you are done.

5

TIP When you zip a group of files, right-click the file whose name you want to give to the zip folder, and then click

6

Send To. The file’s name will automatically be given to the zip folder. Figure 3-13: If possible, back up to an external drive.

Review the Backup Summary that is presented. If it is not correct, click Back in the upper-left area, and return to the previous steps.

8.

If the proposed schedule is not what you want, click Change Schedule. Select how often, what day, and what time you want to do the backup, and click OK.

9.

Click Save Settings And Run Backup. Your next backup will be scheduled and the current backup will begin. You can stop the backup if you wish and change the settings in this window, which replaces the original Backup And Restore window.

10.

When the backup is complete, the Backup And Restore window goes into its final form, shown in Figure 3-14. Click the Close button to close the Backup And Restore window.

System and program files will not be backed up in an automatic scheduled backup.

63 63

10


9

7.

8

If you chose the latter option, select the files and drives you want to back up, and click Next.

7

NOTE

6.

1 2

UICKSTEPS MANAGING DISKS Windows 7 provides three tools to help manage the files

33

and folders stored on hard disks. CLEAN UP A DISK Disk Cleanup helps you get rid of old files on your hard disk. Windows looks through your hard disk for types

4

of files that can be deleted and lists them, as shown in Figure 3-15. You can then select the types of files you want to delete.

1. Click Start, click Computer, right-click a disk drive you want to work on, and click Properties.

5

2. Click Disk Cleanup. Windows 7 will calculate how much space you could save.

3. Select the types of files to delete, and click OK. You are asked if you want to permanently delete

6

these files. Click Delete Files to permanently delete them.

4. When you are ready, close the Properties dialog box. Figure 3-14: The final Backup And Restore window goes through several changes.

7

CHECK FOR ERRORS Error Checking tries to read and write on your disk, without losing information, to determine if bad areas exist. If it finds a bad area, that area is flagged so that

8

the system will not use it. Error Checking automatically fixes file system errors and attempts recovery of bad sectors.


10

9

Continued . . .

64 64


Write Files and Folders to a CD or DVD Windows 7 allows you to copy (“burn” or record) files to a writable or rewritable CD or DVD. You must have a CD or DVD writing drive and blank media.

1.

Place a blank recordable disc in the drive. You will be asked if you want to burn a CD or DVD using Windows Explorer or Windows Media Player, or possibly other programs on your computer.

1

2.

MANAGING DISKS

(Continued)

2. Click the Tools tab, and click Check Now. Select whether you want to automatically fix errors

Windows to use Error Checking. If so, close any open applications, click Schedule Disk Check to do a disk check the next time you start your computer, and then restart your computer. Error Checking will automatically begin when Windows restarts. You will be shown the status of the Error Checking fixed. When Error Checking is complete, your computer will finish restarting. DEFRAGMENT A DISK into pieces (or fragments) and individually written to the disk. As the disk fills, the fragments are spread over

• With A CD/DVD Player. This format, called Mastered, can be read by most

the disk as space allows. To read a file that has been down the performance of your computer. To fix this, Windows has a defragmentation process that rewrites

Click the option you want, and click Next. The disc will be formatted and, depending on the option you choose, either Media Player will open or a new AutoPlay dialog box will appear.

4.

Open another Windows Explorer window, locate the files and folders you want on the CD or DVD, and drag them to the CD/DVD drive subject pane:


2. Click the Tools tab, and click Defragment Now. The Disk Defragmenter will open, as shown in Figure 3-16. You can choose to turn off the

• If you are using the Live File System format, as you drag the objects to the drive, they will be immediately written on the disc. When you have written all the files you

9

automatic defragmentation or to modify the

8

3.

7

computers, including older Windows and Apple computers and most standalone CD and DVD players. To use this format, you must gather all the files in one place and then burn them all at one time. Use this format for music and video files that you want to play on automobile or standalone devices, such as MP3 and video players.

fragmented requires extra disk activity and can slow

one contiguous area.

Figure 3-15: It is important to get rid of files and folders that you are no longer using.

6

When files are stored on a hard disk, they are broken

5

operation and told of any problems that could not be

4

which is the default. This format, called Live File System, can only be read on a computer with Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 or 2008, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 operating systems. This option allows you to add one file or folder to the CD or DVD at a time, like you would with a hard disk or a USB flash drive. You can leave the disc in the drive and drag data to it whenever you want and delete previously added objects.

click Start. You may be told you have to restart

33

• Like A USB flash Drive,

and/or attempt recovery of bad sectors, and

the contents of a disk, placing all of the pieces of a file in

Click Burn Files To Disc. Type a name for the disc. You will be shown two formatting options based on how you want to use the disc:

2

UICKSTEPS

schedule. Continued . . .

65 65

10


1 2

UICKSTEPS MANAGING DISKS

want to the disc, right-click the drive and click Close Session. After the “Closing Session” message above the notification area disappears, you can remove the disc from the drive and insert it at a later time to resume adding or removing files and folders.

(Continued)

3. If you wish to go ahead manually, such as with an external drive not otherwise defragmented, shown in Figure 3-16, select the drive and click Analyze

33

Disk to see if the disk needs defragmenting. If you wish to continue, click Defragment Disk. The process can take up to a couple of hours. Some fragments may remain, which is fine.

• If you are using the Mastered format, drag all the objects you want written on the

4

4. When you are ready, click Close to close the Disk

disc to the drive. When all files and folders are in the drive’s subject pane, click Burn To Disc. You are asked to confirm or change the title, select a recording speed, and click Next. When the burn is complete, the disc will be ejected and you can choose to burn the same files to another disc. In any case, click Finish. The temporary files will be erased, which might take a few minutes.

Defragmenter window.

6

5

5.

When you are done, click Close to close Windows Explorer.

NOTE By default, Windows 7 automatically defragments your you won’t need to do it.

TIP

8

7

drives on a periodic basis, so under most circumstances,

The Live File System that lets you use CD-R/DVD-R discs like CD-RW/DVD-RW is a super capability that you

9

can use much as an additional hard disk.

10

Figure 3-16: Defragmenting brings pieces of a file together into one contiguous area. 66 66


1

How to… •

Choose an Internet Connection

•

Set Up Communications

•

Configure an Internet Connection

2

Types of Internet Connections

3

Browsing the Internet Search the Internet

•

Keep a Favorite Site

•

Use Tabs

•

Change Your Home Page

Chapter 4

Using the Internet

44

•

Organizing Favorite Sites •

Access Web History

•

Play Internet Audio and Video Files

•

Get Windows Mail

•

Establish an Email Account

•

Create and Send Email

•

Receive Email

•

Respond to Email Using the Contacts List Use Stationery

•

Apply Formatting Using Web Mail Attach Files to Email

•

Use Calendar

•

Participate in Newsgroups

•

Set Up Windows Live Messenger Using Windows Live Messenger

Connect to the Internet You can connect to the Internet using a telephone line, a cable TV connection, a satellite link, or a land-based wireless link. Across these various types of connections there are a myriad of speeds, degrees of reliability, and costs. The most important factor is what is available to you at the location where you want

Using the Internet

67

10


9

•

8

•

7

Copy Internet Information

6

•

The Internet provides a major means for worldwide communication between both individuals and organizations, as well as a major means for locating and sharing information. For many, having access to the Internet is the primary reason for having a computer. To use the Internet, you must have a connection to it using one of the many means that are now available. You then can send and receive email; access the World Wide Web; watch movies; and participate in blogs, forums, and newsgroups, among many other things.

5

Controlling Internet Security

1 2

QUICKFACTS TYPES OF INTERNET CONNECTIONS The following Internet connection type descriptions give you a starting place for determining the type you

3

want, if it is available to you. The speeds and costs are representative averages and may not be correct for the Internet service provider (ISP) you are considering or for your location. You must get the correct numbers from

44

your local providers. TELEPHONE DIAL-UP A dial-up Internet connection is the oldest and slowest

to use it. In an urban area, you have a number of alternatives from landline phone companies, cell phone companies, and cable TV companies, all with varying degrees of speed, reliability, and cost. As you move away from the urban area, your options will decrease to a telephone dial-up connection and/or a satellite link. With a telephone line, you can connect with a dial-up connection, a DSL (digital subscriber line) connection, or a high-speed connection of various types. DSL, cable, satellite, and some wireless connections are called broadband connections and offer higher speeds and are always on (see “Types of Internet Connections” QuickFacts). You must have access to at least one of these forms of communication in order to connect to the Internet. You must also set up the Internet connection itself.

type of connection. It requires a modem in or attached to

5

your computer (many computers come with a modem). To use a dial-up connection, the modem must dial the ISP using a regular phone line each time you want to connect to the Internet. This ties up the phone line while you are connected; thus, it cannot be used for other

6

purposes.

7

• Speed—Download: 48Kbps, Upload: 34Kbps • Availability: Almost anywhere • Reliability: Fair • Monthly Cost: From under $10 to over $20 • One-Time Cost: Often none

Choose an Internet Connection With most forms of Internet connections, you have a choice of speed and ancillary services, such as the number of free email accounts and possibly a personal Web site. Also, depending on the type of connection, you may need dedicated equipment, such as a modem, DSL router, or satellite receiving equipment, which may or may not be included in the price. For any Internet connection service, ask the provider the following questions:

•

What is both the best and average experienced download (from the Internet to you) and upload (from you to the Internet) speeds in Kbps (kilo or thousands of bits per second) or Mbps (millions of bits per second)? (Bits are a series of ones and zeros that represent data.) You will generally do a lot more downloading than you will uploading.

•

What is the total cost per month for a given speed, including all applicable taxes and fees?

•

What equipment is needed for this service and how much does it cost, either one time or per month? Does the equipment provide hardwired, wireless, or both types of connections? You might want both so you can have both a desktop computer hardwired and a laptop that you can carry around without plugging it in.

•

What are the installation, setup, and other one-time charges or fees that are required? If you pay for six months or a year in advance, are these fees waived?

TELEPHONE DSL

8

Many phone companies offer a DSL (digital subscriber line) service because it is 20 to 40 times faster than dial-up, does not require a dedicated line (phone conversations and faxes can use the same line at the same time without interference), is always connected,

9

and is not all that expensive. Most DSL is actually ADSL, or asymmetric DSL, meaning that the upload and

10

Continued . . .

68 68

Windows 7 QuickSteps the Internet PC QuickSteps GettingUsing to Know Your PC

1

QUICKFACTS

•

Are the means for having your own personal or commercial Web site (called web hosting) included? If so, what are the limits in terms of the amount of storage used by the site and the site activity in terms of the number of bits transferred to and/or from your site per month? For a free personal Web site, this commonly is 10 to 100MB of storage and 1 to 5GB (gigabits or billions of bits) of activity.

•

How long does it take to get the connection up and running?

download speeds are not the same, which is true with almost all service types.

•

Speed—Download: 512Kbps to 18Mbps, Upload: 256Kbps to 2Mbps

• Availability: In urban and many suburban areas. There is a maximum distance limit from equipment facilities.

• • Monthly Cost: From under $30 to over $60 • One-Time Cost: May have setup fees and

44

How many email accounts are included and how much storage is allowed per account (for example, six accounts and 250MB of storage)? (MB refers to megabytes or millions of bytes, and a byte is eight bits.) How much are additional accounts and storage?

Reliability: Very good

TELEPHONE FIBER OPTIC With the advent of phone companies running fiber optic cable to businesses and homes, they have started offering

Set Up Communications Communications is the link between your computer and the Internet. To set up communications, you must first choose a type of connection link. With a dial-up connection, you must set up a modem. If you are not using dial-up (and that is recommended, if possible), you do not need to install a modem and can skip the following section.

5

equipment charges

3

•

2

TYPES OF INTERNET CONNECTIONS (Continued)

significantly increased Internet connection speeds. Verizon

• Speed—Download: 10Mbps to 50Mbps, Upload: 2Mbps to 20Mbps

• Availability: Urban and a few suburban areas. facilities. Continued . . .

Internet connection are waived if you sign a one- or twoyear contract and/or prepay for a year or two of service.

As you perform the steps in this and other chapters, you may see a User Account Control (UAC) dialog box appear and tell you that Windows needs your permission to continue. When you see these dialog boxes and if you are an administrator and, in fact, want to continue, click Continue. If you are not logged on as an administrator, you will need to enter a password. If you don’t want to do whatever is being requested, click Cancel. The UAC dialog box and its associated steps are not included in the steps here to simplify the process. When you see the UAC dialog box, process it as you want and continue with

9

Often, setup, installation, and equipment charges for an

NOTE

8

TIP

If a modem came with your computer, or if one was already installed when you upgraded to Windows 7, your modem was probably automatically installed and you don’t need to do anything more. In that case, or if you are unsure, skip to “Set Up a Dial-Up Connection.” Otherwise, if you need to install a modem:

7

There is a maximum distance limit from equipment

INSTALL A MODEM

6

is one example of this with their FiOS service.

the instructions. UAC is discussed in Chapter 8.

69 69

10

Windows 7 QuickSteps theYour Internet PC QuickSteps Getting Using to Know PC

1

1. Make sure a modem is either physically installed in your computer or, if you have an


external modem, that it is connected to your computer, plugged in, and turned on.

2. Click Start and click Control Panel. On the top-right area, click the View By down

• Reliability: Very good • Monthly Cost: From under $50 to over $140 • One-Time Cost: May have setup fees and

3

2

QUICKFACTS

equipment charges TV CABLE SERVICE

44

Many cable television companies now offer Internet connection service on their lines. This service is advertised as being much faster than DSL, but it often is only slightly faster or not so at all. TV cable Internet service is using a party-line concept where several to

5

many people use the same line (with DSL and FiOS, you have your own private line). In a digital world, this line sharing is not as bad as you might think, but interference can still slow down the actual service, and advertised speeds are seldom attainable for any length of time.

6

• Speed—Download: 3Mbps to 50Mbps, Upload: 1Mbps to 10Mbps

7

• Availability: Urban and most suburban areas • Reliability: Very good • Monthly Cost: From under $40 to over $140 • One-Time Cost: Normally have installation fees and equipment charges

8

CELL PHONE WIRELESS Most cell phone companies offer a mobile broadband Internet service, which can be used both on “smart phones” and with normal computers with a small plug-in device. Like all cell phone service, it is subject to blind

10

9

areas where the service cannot be received. Also, just Continued . . .

70 70


arrow, and click Large Icons if you are not already in that view.

3. In Large Icons view, click Phone And Modem. 4. If this is the first time you’ve set up a modem, you need to enter location information. Select your country, enter your area or city code, and, if necessary, your carrier code and the number to access an outside line. If needed, click Pulse Dialing (with old phone systems only), and click OK. The Phone And Modem dialog box will appear.

5. Click the Modems tab. If it shows a modem, as shown here, your modem is installed and you can skip to “Set Up a Dial-Up Connection.”

6. If you don’t see a modem but you know you have one installed, close the Phone And Modem dialog box, and return to the Large Icons of Control Panel. Click Device Manager. You’ll see a list of all your hardware in alphabetical order. You should not see a Modems listing yet (because Windows hasn’t fully recognized the device at this point), but hopefully, under Other Devices, you’ll see a modem with an exclamation point as shown in the illustration.

7. If you do not see a modem, it is a good bet that one is not installed and you need to do that. If you do see a modem with an exclamation point, then a device driver needs to be installed. In both of those cases, you need to go outside Windows to locate a solution.

8. If you see the modem listed and have a CD for it, put the CD in the drive. It should automatically start and install the driver. If you need a new modem, talk to the manufacturer of your computer or the store where you bought it.

9. When you are told that your modem has been installed successfully (you should now see your modem listed under a Modems heading), click Close twice to close the Device Manager window and Control Panel.

1

QUICKFACTS because a company has cell phone service in an area, this does not mean their Internet service extends to that area.

Upload: 500Kbps to 800Kbps

a smart phone, and device charge for use with a computer

Icons view, double-click Network And Sharing Center.

2. Click Set Up A New Connection Or Network. The Set Up A Connection Or Network dialog box will appear.

3. Click Set Up A Dial-Up Connection, and click Next. The Create A Dial-Up Connection dialog box will appear.

4. Enter the phone number to dial, enter the user name and password given to you by your Internet service provider (ISP), choose whether to show the password and whether to remember the password or require it to be entered each time you connect, and then enter a name for this connection (see Figure 4-1).

5

SATELLITE WIRELESS

1. If your Control Panel isn’t open, click Start and then click Control Panel. In Large

44

• Availability: Urban and some suburban areas • Reliability: Good • Monthly Cost: From under $40 to over $60 • One-Time Cost: Normally have activation fees,

With a modem installed and working, you can set up a dial-up connection that uses the modem to dial and connect to another computer at the other end of a phone line.

3

• Speed—Download: 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps,

SET UP A DIAL-UP CONNECTION

2


Satellite Internet service is available in most areas, including those where other services are not available. Satellite service requires a satellite antenna that can “see” the southern horizon, so you need clear southern

6

exposure. Trees, buildings, and hills or mountains close to you on your south side can block reception. Also, heavy weather can cause interruptions. Generally, satellite service is a last resort. One satellite provider is

7

HughesNet, www.hughesnest.com.

• Speed—Download: 1Mbps to 5Mbps, Upload: 128Kbps to 300Kbps

8

• Availability: Almost anywhere • Reliability: Fair • Monthly Cost: From under $60 to over $350 • One-Time Cost: Purchase or lease of equipment required

9

Figure 4-1: You will need a user name and a password, as well as other information from your ISP, in order to connect with them. See the second Note on the next page. 71 71

10


1 2

NOTE If you purchased Windows 7 or a computer with Windows 7 in the UK or Europe, when you first start Internet Explorer, a Web Browser Ballot will appear allowing you to choose the web browser you want to use on a recurring basis.

3

done, click Connect.

6. You will be told when you are connected to the Internet. 7. Click Browse The Internet Now to do that. You will be asked if this network is in a

instructions that are shown. In terms of usage, all versions

home, work, or public location. Click Public Location. This will be explained further in Chapter 9. Click Close.

of Microsoft Internet Explorer are only slightly ahead of all

8. Internet Explorer (Windows 7’s integral Web browser) will open for your use. See “Use

Click Install under the browser you want and follow the

versions of Mozilla Firefox. Safari was built for the Apple Mac and is not used on many PCs. Google Chrome is very

44

5. Choose whether anyone else can use this user name and password. When you are

new but it is picking up users, and Opera has little support. I recommend either IE 8 or Firefox 3.5 and actually use both. If you want to do that, choose one on the Ballot, and

the World Wide Web” later in this chapter. When you are done, click the Close button on Internet Explorer.

9. To disconnect, right-click the connection icon in the notification area, click Disconnect From, and click the name of your connection. Click Close to close the Network And Sharing Center window.

then go to either www.microsoft.com to download Internet

5

Explorer 8 (make sure you get the version for Windows 7) or www.mozilla.com to download Firefox 3.5, and get the

6

other version.

7

NOTE account with an ISP and you need to know your ISP’s have the user name and password for your account. If you want to use Internet mail, you need to know your

8

A broadband connection—made with a DSL phone line, a TV cable, a satellite connection, or a high-speed wireless connection—is normally made with a device that connects to your local area network (LAN) and allows several computers on the network to use the connection. (See Chapter 9 to set up a network.) With a network set up, your computer connected to the network, and a broadband service connected to the network, your computer is connected to the broadband service. There is nothing else you need to do to set up a broadband connection.

To connect to the Internet, you need to have an existing phone number for your modem to dial. You also must

email address, the type of mail server (POP3, IMAP, or HTTP), the names of the incoming and outgoing mail servers, and the name and password for the mail account. This information is provided by your ISP when

9

you establish your account.

10

SET UP A BROADBAND CONNECTION

72 72


Configure an Internet Connection In the process of establishing either a dial-up or broadband connection, you may have also configured an Internet connection. The easiest way to check that is to try to connect to the Internet by clicking the Internet Explorer icon pinned to the left of the taskbar. If an Internet Web page is displayed, like the MSN page shown in Figure 4-2, then you are connected and you need do no more. If you did not connect to the Internet and you know that your dial-up or broadband and network connections are all working properly, you need to configure your Internet connection.

1

NOTE is called a “modem,” but it is not an analog-to-digital converter, which is the major point of a modulator-

1. If Internet Explorer did not connect to the Internet, click Start and click Control Panel. 2. In Category view, click Network And Internet, and click Network And Sharing Center.

demodulator. Therefore, that term is not used for those

–Or–

devices in this book. The correct term is “router,” which

In Large Icons view, click Network And Sharing Center.

computer.

3. In either case, click Set Up A New Connection Or Network. The Set Up A Connection

3

is a bridge between the Internet and your local network/

2

Sometimes, a DSL or TV cable connecting device

Or Network dialog box will appear (see Figure 4-3).

44 5 6

NOTE 7

For the sake of writing convenience and because Windows 7 generally comes with Internet Explorer, this book assumes you are using Internet Explorer to access the Internet.

8 9

Figure 4-2: The easiest way to see if you have an Internet connection is to try to connect to the Internet.

73 73

10


1 2

UICKSTEPS BROWSING THE INTERNET Browsing the Internet refers to using a browser, like Internet Explorer, to go from one Web site to another

3

to see the sites’ contents. You can browse to a site by directly entering a site address, by navigating to a site from another site, or by using the browser controls. First, of course, you have to start the browser.

44

START A BROWSER To start your default browser (assumed to be Internet Explorer), click the Internet Explorer icon on the left of the taskbar. ENTER A SITE DIRECTLY

5

To go directly to a site:

1. Start your browser and click the existing address, or URL (uniform resource locator), in the address bar to select it.

6

2. Type the address of the site you want to open, as

Figure 4-3: Most broadband connections are always on and don’t require a user name and password.

shown here, and either click Go To (the right-pointing

4. Click Connect To The Internet, and click Next. Click your choice between

arrow) next to the

broadband and dial-up, and click Next.

7

address bar or

5. Enter a dial-up phone number (if that is your service choice), your user name and

press ENTER. USE SITE NAVIGATION

8

Site navigation is using a combination of links and menus on one web page to locate and open another web page, either in the same site or in another site:

• Links are words, phrases, sentences, or graphics that always have an open hand displayed when

9

the mouse pointer is moved over them and, when clicked, take you to another location. They are

10

Continued . . .

74 74


password, choose whether to display the password and if it is to be remembered by the system, enter a name for the connection, and choose whether to allow others to use this user name and password. When you are done, click Connect.

6. Once more, click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar. If asked, click Connect and then click Dial. If you still cannot connect to the Internet, you may need to reinstall your modem, in which case you should go to “Install a Modem” earlier in this chapter. If you are using a broadband connection, you may need to go to Chapter 9 and look at potential network problems.

1


Use the World Wide Web

2

BROWSING THE INTERNET initially, then when you move the mouse pointer to them.

• Menus contain one or a few words in a horizontal list,

3

The World Wide Web (or just the Web) is the sum of all the Web sites in the world—examples of which are CNN, Google, and MSN (which was shown in Figure 4-2). The World Wide Web is what you can access with a Web browser, such as Internet Explorer, which comes with Windows 7.

often underlined—if not

vertical list, or both that always have an open hand displayed when the mouse pointer is moved over

Search the Internet You can search the Internet in two ways: by using the Microsoft Live Search facility built into Internet Explorer and by using an independent search facility on the Web.

another location.

5

SEARCH FROM INTERNET EXPLORER

44

them and, when clicked, take you to

To use Internet Explorer’s Live Search facility:

USE BROWSER NAVIGATION Browser navigation is using the controls within your browser to go to another location. Internet Explorer has two controls not discussed elsewhere that are used for

• Back and Forward buttons take you to the next

to search for. Click one of the suggestions below the Search box, click Search (the magnifying glass) on the right end of the search box, or click ENTER. The Windows Live search site will open with the results of the search, as you can see in Figure 4-4.

6

navigation:

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it. 2. Click in the Live Search box on the right of the address bar, and type what you want

or previous page in the stack of pages you have viewed most recently. Moving your mouse over

7

these buttons will display a tooltip showing you the name of the page the button will take you to.

• Recent Pages allows you to open a list of the recent pages you have viewed, click one, and

3. Click the link of your choice to go to that site.

8

quickly return to that page.

SEARCH FROM AN INTERNET SITE Back

Recent Pages

Pages recently entered

Stop

There are many independent Internet search sites. The most popular is Google.

Forward

Address bar

Refresh

9

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it. 2. Drag over to highlight the current address in the address bar, type www.google.com, and either click Go To (the blue arrow) or press ENTER.

75 75

10


1 2

NOTE

3. In the text box, type what you want to search for, and click Google Search. The

Older web pages are shown in Compatibility View as indicated with an additional icon of a broken page at the right end of the address bar, like this:

.

resulting Web sites are shown in a full web page, as illustrated in Figure 4-5.

4. Click the link of your choice to go to that site.

3

Keep a Favorite Site

TIP When you enter search criteria, place quotation marks

Sometimes, you visit a site that you would like to return to quickly or often. Internet Explorer has a memory bank called Favorites to which you can save sites for easy retrieval.

that match those words exactly.

SAVE A FAVORITE SITE

To add a site to Favorites:

1.

Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it.

2.

Open the web page you want to add to your Favorites list, and make sure its correct address (URL) is in the address bar.

3.

Click Favorites above the tab row, and click Add To Favorites. The Add A Favorite dialog box appears.

4.

Adjust the name as needed in the text box (you may want to type a name you will readily associate with that site), and click Add.

9

8

7

6

5

44

around certain keywords or phrases to get only results

10

Figure 4-4: The results of a search using Internet Explorer’s Live Search. 76 76


1

OPEN A FAVORITE SITE

2

To open a favorite site you have saved:

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it. want to open.

3

2. Click Favorites above the tab row, and click the site you

44 5 6 7

Figure 4-5: The results of a search using Google.

Use Tabs

If the status bar is turned on (click the Tools menu, click Toolbars, and click Status Bar), there is a Zoom button and menu in the lower-right corner of the Internet Explorer menu, and select a level of magnification, or

9

window. Click the down arrow to open the

8

TIP

Internet Explorer 8 (IE8), which comes with Windows 7, allows you to have several web pages open at one time and easily switch between them by clicking the tab associated with the page. The tabs reside on the tab row, immediately above the displayed web page, as shown in Figure 4-6. Originally, only one page was open at a time, as in versions of Internet Explorer before IE7. If you open a second page, it replaces the first page. IE7 and IE8, however, give you the ability to open multiple pages as separate tabs that you can switch among by clicking their tabs.

click the button to iterate through the levels.

77 77

10


1

OPEN PAGES IN A NEW TAB

2

Close Tab Home

To open a page in a new tab:

3

Tab List

1. 2. 3.

Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it. Open your first web page in any of the ways described earlier in this chapter. Click New Tab on the right end of the tab row, or press CTRL+T, and open a second web page in any of the ways described earlier in this chapter. –Or–

44

Quick Tabs

Tabs

Figure 4-6: Tabs allow you to quickly switch among several Web sites.

Type a web address in the address bar, and press ALT+ENTER. –Or– Type a search request in the search box, and press ALT+ENTER. –Or–

5

Hold down CTRL while clicking a link in an open page. –Or– Click the blue arrow on the right of a site in your Favorites list.

6

4.

Repeat any of the alternatives in step 3 as needed to open additional pages.

SWITCH AMONG TABS

7

To switch among open tabs: Click the tab of the page you want to open. –Or–

8

Click Quick Tabs in the tab row, or press CTRL+Q, and click the thumbnail of the page you want to open (see Figure 4-7).

9

–Or–

10

Figure 4-7: Through the Quick Tabs button, you can see thumbnails of all your open pages side-by-side.

78 78


1

NOTE Click Tab List in the tab row, and click the page you want to open.

2

To use CTRL+n to switch among Internet Explorer’s tabs, you need to use a number key on the main keyboard, not on the numeric keypad.

3

–Or–

Press just the ALT key to view Internet Explorer’s menus.

Press CTRL+TAB to switch to the next tab to the right, or press CTRL+ SHIFT+TAB to switch to the next tab to the left.

44

TIP

–Or–

5

Press CTRL+n, where n is a number from 1 to 8 to switch to one of the first eight tabs numbered from the left in the order they were opened. You can also press CTRL+9 to switch to the last tab that was opened, shown on the right of the tab row.

CLOSE TABS

To close one or more tabs:

NOTE together. To create one, click Favorites, click the Add To Favorites down-arrow, and click Add Current Tabs To Favorites.

–Or– Press CTRL+W to close the current page.

7

A tab group is a collection of tabs that can be opened

–Or– Click the tab of the page you want to close, and click the X on the right of the tab. –Or–

CTRL while clicking the Home Page icon.

Change Your Home Page When you first start Internet Explorer, a web page is automatically displayed. This page is called your home page. When you go to other web pages, you can return to this page by clicking the Home Page icon on the tab row. To change your home page: 79 79

10


9

You can open the home page in its own tab by holding

8

Press ALT+F4 and click Close All Tabs to do that, or click Close Current Tab; or click CTRL+ALT+ F4 to close all tabs except the currently selected one.

TIP

6

Right-click the tab for the page you want to close, and click Close Tab on the context menu, or click Close Other Tabs to close all of the pages except the one you clicked, or click Close This Tab Group to close all tabs if a group is displayed.

1

UICKSTEPS 2

ORGANIZING FAVORITE SITES After a while, you will probably find that you have a number of favorite sites and it is becoming hard to find the one you want. Internet Explorer provides two places

3

to store your favorite sites, a favorites list, which is presented to you in the form of a menu you can open, and a favorites bar, which is displayed at all times. There are several ways to organize your favorite sites.

44

REARRANGE THE FAVORITES LIST The items on your Favorites list are displayed in the order you added them, unless you drag them to a new location.

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to

5

open it.

2. Click Favorites, locate the site you want to reposition, and drag it to the location in the list where you want it.

6

CREATE NEW FOLDERS

Figure 4-8: As with files, organizing your favorite Web sites helps you easily find what you want.

Internet Explorer comes with several default folders added by Microsoft or by the computer’s manufacturer. You can also add your own folders within the Favorites list.

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to

7

open it.

2. Click Favorites, click the Add To Favorites down arrow, and click Organize Favorites to open the Organize Favorites dialog box, shown in Figure 4-8.

8

3. Click New Folder, type the name for the folder, and press ENTER.

4. Drag the desired site links to the new folder, drag the folder to where you want it on the list, and

9

then click Close. Continued . . .

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it. 2. Directly enter or browse to the site you want as your home page.

3. Click the Home Page down arrow, and click Add Or Change Home Page. The Add Or Change Home Page dialog box will appear.

4. Click:

• Use This Webpage As Your Only Home Page if you wish to have only a single home page

• Add This Webpage To Your Home Page Tabs if you wish to have several home 10

pages on different tabs 80 80


1

UICKSTEPS

appear when you start Internet Explorer or click the Home Page icon

2

• Use The Current Tab Set As Your Home Page if you want all the current tabs to

ORGANIZING FAVORITE SITES

5. Click Yes to complete your home page selection and close the dialog box.

(Continued) PUT FAVORITES IN FOLDERS You can put a site in either your own folders (see “Create it to your Favorites list.

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it.

Access Web History Internet Explorer keeps a history of the Web sites you visit, and you can use that history to return to a site. You can set the length of time to keep sites in that history, and you can clear your history.

Favorites list, and make sure its correct

44

USE WEB HISTORY

2. Open the web page you want in your

3

New Folders”) or the default ones when you initially add

To use the Web History feature:

address or URL is in the address bar.

1.

3. Click Favorites, click Add To Favorites,

Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it.

5

adjust the name as needed in the text box, click the Create In down arrow, select the folder to use, and click Add. ADD A SITE TO THE FAVORITES BAR On the same row with and to the right of the

6

Favorites menu is the Favorites bar. By default, it has two sites on it, but you can add others. Open the site you want to add to the Favorites bar, and click the Add To Favorites Bar button on the .

–Or– Click Favorites, click the Add To Favorites down arrow, and click Add To Favorites Bar.

click History or press CTRL+H to open the History pane.

3. Click how you want the history sorted,

7

left of the Favorites bar

2. Click Favorites above the tab row, and

and then click the day, Web site, and web page you want to open, as shown in Figure 4-9.

8

To delete a favorite site from either the Favorites list or the Favorites bar, right-click it and click Delete.

9

TIP Figure 4-9: The Web History feature allows you to find a site that you visited in the recent past. 81 81

10


1 2

UICKSTEPS

DELETE AND SET HISTORY

You can set the length of time to keep your Internet history, and you can clear this history.

CONTROLLING INTERNET SECURITY Internet Explorer allows you to control three aspects of

3

Internet security. You can categorize sites by the degree to which you trust them, determine how you want to handle cookies placed on your computer by Web sites, and set and use ratings to control the content of Web sites that can be viewed. These controls are found in the

44

Internet Options dialog box.

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it.

History dialog box. If needed, select the check box opposite History to delete it. Select any other check box to delete that information, although you should keep the Preserve Favorites Website Data check box selected to keep that information (it is a confusing dialog box). Click Delete. –Or–

2. Click Tools on the tab row, and click Internet Options.

5

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open it. 2. Click Tools at the right end of the tab row, and click Internet Options. 3. In the General tab, under Browsing History, click Delete to open the Delete Browsing

CATEGORIZE WEB SITES Internet Explorer allows you to categorize Web sites into

In the General tab of the Internet Options dialog box, under Browsing History, click Settings. Under History, at the bottom of the dialog box, use the Days spinner to set the number of days to keep your Web history. Click OK.

4. Click OK again to close the Internet Options dialog box.

zones: Internet (sites that are not classified in one of the

6

other ways), Local Intranet, Trusted Sites, and Restricted Sites (as shown in Figure 4-10). From the Internet Options dialog box:

1. Click the Security tab. Click the Internet zone. Note its definition.

7

2. Click Custom Level. Select the elements in this zone that you want to disable, enable, or prompt you before using. Alternatively, select a level of security you want for this zone, and click Reset.

8

Click OK when you are finished.

3. Click each of the other zones, where you can identify either groups or individual sites you want in that zone.

9

HANDLE COOKIES Cookies are small pieces of data that Web sites store on your computer so that they can remind themselves

10

Continued . . .

82 82


Figure 4-10: Internet Explorer allows you to categorize Web sites into zones and determine what can be done within those zones.

1

UICKSTEPS 2

CONTROLLING INTERNET SECURITY (Continued) of who you are. These can save you from having to constantly enter your name and ID. Cookies can also be

3

dangerous, however, letting people into your computer where they can potentially do damage. Internet Explorer lets you determine the types and sources of cookies you will allow and what those cookies

44

can do on your computer (see Figure 4-11). From the Internet Options dialog box:

1. Click the Privacy tab. Select a privacy setting by dragging the slider up or down.

5

2. Click Advanced to open the Advanced Privacy Settings dialog box. If you wish, click Override Automatic Cookie Handling, and select the settings you want to use.

4. In the middle of the Privacy tab, you can turn off

6

Figure 4-11: Determine how you will handle cookies that Web sites want to leave on your computer.

3. Click OK to return to the Internet Options dialog box. the pop-up blocker, which is on by default (it is recommended that you leave it on). If you have a site that you frequently use that needs pop-ups, Add, and click Close.

5. At the bottom of the Privacy tab, you can determine how to handle InPrivate Filtering and Browsing. See the Note on InPrivate later in this

You may occasionally find something on the Internet that you want to copy—a picture, some text, or a web page. COPY A PICTURE FROM THE INTERNET

To copy a picture from an Internet web page to a folder on your hard disk:

8

1. Open Internet Explorer and locate the web page

chapter.

7

click Settings, enter the site address (URL), click

Copy Internet Information

containing the picture you want.

CONTROL CONTENT You can control the content that Internet Explorer displays.

Locate the folder in which you want to save the picture, enter the file name you want to use, and click Save.

9

Continued . . .

2. Right-click the picture and click Save Picture As.

3. Close Internet Explorer if you are done.

83 83

10


1 2

UICKSTEPS CONTROLLING INTERNET SECURITY (Continued) From the Internet Options dialog box:

1. Click the Content tab. Click Parental Controls.

3

Click the user you want to control to open the User Controls window, shown in Figure 4-12. Click On to turn on parental controls, and configure any other settings you want to use. Click OK when you

44

are done, and then close the Parental Controls window.

2. Click Enable to open the Content Advisor dialog box. Individually select each of the categories, and drag the slider to the level you want to allow.

5

Detailed descriptions of each area are shown in the lower half of the dialog box.

3. Click OK to close the Content Advisor dialog box.

6

When you are done, click OK to close the Internet Options dialog box. (Other parts of this dialog box are discussed elsewhere in this book.)

7

NOTE Protected Mode—which you can turn on or off at the bottom of the Security tab (the notice for which you’ll see

8

at the bottom of Internet Explorer)— is what produces the messages that tells you a program is trying to run in Internet Explorer or that software is trying to install itself on your computer. In most cases, you can click in a bar at the top of the Internet Explorer window if you want to run

Figure 4-12: You can place a number of controls on what a particular user can do on a computer using the Parental Controls feature.

COPY TEXT FROM THE INTERNET

To copy text from a web page to a Microsoft Word document or email message:

1. Open Internet Explorer and locate the web page containing the text you want. 2. Drag across to highlight the text, right-click the selection, and click Copy. 3. Open a Microsoft Word document or an email message in which you want to paste the text. Right-click where you want the text, and click Paste.

4. Save the Word document and close Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, or your email program if you are done with them.

9

the program or install the software. You can also doubleclick the notice at the bottom of Internet Explorer to open the Security tab and turn off Protected Mode (clear the

10

Enable Protected Mode check box).

84 84


COPY A WEB PAGE FROM THE INTERNET

To make a copy of a web page and store it on your hard disk:

1. Open Internet Explorer and locate the web page you want to copy.

1

NOTE

2. Click Page on the tab row, and click Save As. In the Save Webpage dialog box, select

view sites, called InPrivate, that is opened by clicking Safety on the tab row and clicking InPrivate Browsing. This opens a separate browser window with this address bar:

. While you are in this

and cookies are not stored on your computer, preventing anyone looking at your computer from seeing where you have browsed. In addition, with InPrivate Filtering, also

3. Close Internet Explorer if you are done.

Play Internet Audio and Video Files You can play audio and video files on the Internet with Internet Explorer directly from a link on a web page. Many web pages have links to audio and video files, such as the one shown in Figure 4-13. To play these files, simply click the links.

44

opened from Safety in the tab row, you can control how

3

window, your browsing history, temporary Internet files,

the folder in which to save the page, enter the file name you want to use, and click Save.

2

Internet Explorer 8 has added a new way to browse and

information about you is passed on to Internet content providers.

5

CAUTION Material you copy from the Internet is normally protected by copyright; therefore, what you can do with it is limited. Basically, you can store it on your hard disk and refer to

6

it. You cannot put it on your own Web site, sell it, copy it for distribution, or use it for a commercial purpose without the permission of the owner.

7 8 9

Figure 4-13: Play an audio or video file on a web page by clicking the link.

85 85

10


1 2

NOTE

If you have several audio players installed (for example, Windows Media Player and Real Player), you will be asked which one you want to use. Make that choice, and the player will open to play the requested piece.

Chapter 7 discusses working with audio and video files in depth, including how to play these files using Windows

3

Media Player.

To enjoy audio and video files from the Internet, you should have a broadband connection.

5

44

TIP

Use Internet Email Windows 7 does not include a mail program, but you can download Windows Live Mail as part of Windows Live Essentials. Windows Live Mail allows you to send and receive email and to participate in newsgroups. You can also send and receive email through a Web-mail account using Internet Explorer. This section will primarily describe using Windows Live Mail. See the “Using Web Mail” QuickSteps for a discussion of that subject.

Get Windows Mail

6

For email with Windows 7, this book describes the use of Windows Live Mail because it works well, is freely available from Microsoft, and is designed for Windows 7. There are a number of other alternatives that you can buy or get for free, including Outlook from Microsoft, Eudora, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Opera. Conduct an Internet search on “Windows Mail Clients.”

7

To get Windows Live Mail, you must download Windows Live Essentials from Microsoft. To do that:

1. Click Start, click Getting Started, and click Get Windows Live Essentials. Internet Explorer will open and display Microsoft’s download.live.com Web site.

8

2. Click Download and in the File Download – Security Warning box, click Run. The download will begin and take from 1 to 10 minutes with a broadband Internet connection. When the download is complete, Windows Live will start.

3. Choose the programs you want to install (see Figure 4-14), and click Install. If you are asked to close Internet Explorer, click Continue, and it will be closed for you.

9

4. Choose how much of your Internet experience you want to reveal to Microsoft, and

10

click Continue.

86 86


1

If you have a Windows Live, Hotmail, Messenger, or Xbox Live account, click Close. Otherwise, click Sign Up and follow the instructions on the screen to establish an account.

6.

For now, click Close in the Windows Live Messenger window. It will be opened and discussed at the end of this chapter.

2

5.

3

Establish an Email Account

44

To send and receive email with Windows Live Mail, you must have an Internet connection, an email account established with an ISP, and that account must be set up in Windows Live Mail. For an email account, you need: Your email address, for example: [email protected]

•

The names of the incoming and outgoing mail servers, for example: mail.anisp.com

•

The name and password for your mail account

5

The type of mail server the ISP uses (POP3, IMAP, or HTTP— POP3 is the most common)

6

Figure 4-14: Windows Live Essentials includes email, instant messaging, blogging, movie making, and more.

• •

With this information, you can set up an account in Windows Live Mail.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Windows Live, and click Windows Live Mail.

7

If Windows Live Mail has not been previously set up, the Add An Email Account dialog box will appear; if it doesn’t, click Add Email Account to open it.

2. Enter your email address, press TAB, enter your email password, press TAB, enter the

8

name you want people to see when they get your email, click the Manually Configure Server Settings For Email Account check box, and click Next.

3. Select the type of mail server used by your ISP (commonly POP3), enter the name of your

87 87

10


9

ISP’s incoming mail server (such as mail.anisp.com), whether this server requires a secure connection (most don’t, but your ISP will tell you if it does and how to handle it). Unless your ISP tells you otherwise, leave the default port number and logon authentication.

1

Enter your logon ID or user name, the name of your ISP’s outgoing server (often the same as the incoming server), leave the default port number, and select the check box if your ISP tells you the server requires a secure connection or authentication.

5.

When you have completed these steps, click Next and then click Finish. Windows Live Mail will open. Figure 4-15 shows it after receiving two email messages.

44

3

2

4.

5

Use the next two sections, “Create and Send Email” and “Receive Email,” to test your setup.

Create and Send Email To create and send an email message:

6

1.

7

Figure 4-15: Windows Live Mail provides access to email, a calendar, contacts, feeds, and newsgroups.

8

2. Start to enter a name in the To text box. If the name is in your Contacts list (see the “Using the Contacts List” QuickSteps in this chapter), it will be automatically completed and you can press ENTER to accept that name. If the name is not automatically completed, finish typing a full email address (such as [email protected]).

TIP To quickly start Windows Live Mail with a single click, if it isn’t already running, start it as described in “Establish an Email Account,” right-click the Windows Live Mail icon

9

Open Windows Live Mail, and click New on the toolbar. The New Message window will open, similar to the one in Figure 4-16.

on the taskbar, and click Pin This Program To Taskbar.

3. If you want more than one addressee, place a semicolon (;) and a space after the first address, and then type a second one as in step 2.

4. If you want to differentiate the addressees to whom the message is principally being sent from those for whom it is just information, click Show Cc & Bcc, press TAB, and put the second or subsequent addressees in the Cc text box as you did in the To text box.

5. If you want to send the message to a recipient and not have other recipients see to

10

whom it is sent, click Show Cc & Bcc, click in the Bcc text box, and type the address to be hidden. (Bcc stands for “blind carbon copy.”)

88 88


1

7.

When you have completed your message, click Send on the toolbar. For a brief moment, you may see a message in your outbox and then, if you look, you will see the message in your Sent Items folder. If you are done, close Windows Live Mail.

3

Press TAB, type a subject for the message, press TAB again, and type your message.

2

6.

Receive Email

6

1. Open Windows Live Mail, and click Inbox in the Folders list to open your inbox, which

5

Figure 4-16: Sending email messages is an easy and fast way to communicate.

44

Depending on how Windows Live Mail is set up, it may automatically receive any email you have when you are connected to your ISP. If not, or if you need to dial in to your ISP, click Sync on the right of the toolbar to synchronize Windows Live Mail with your ISP, in essence sending any mail in your outbox and receiving any mail addressed to you into your inbox. To open and read your mail: contains all of the messages you have received and haven’t deleted or organized in folders.

TIP are sorted by the date and time in the Date column, with the most recent

as shown in Figure 4-15, or double-click a message to open the message in its own window, as shown in Figure 4-17.

7

Normally, the contents of your inbox

2. Click a message in the inbox to read it in the Preview pane on the right of the window,

3. Delete a message in either the inbox or its own window by clicking the relevant button on the toolbar. Close Windows Live Mail if you are finished with it.

message at the top. You can sort on by clicking the Sort By Date down arrow and then clicking the element you want sorted, as shown here.

8

any of the elements in the message

Respond to Email You can respond to messages you receive in three ways. First, click the message in your inbox, and then:

9

Click Reply to return a message to just the person who sent the original message. –Or–

89 89

10


1 2

UICKSTEPS USING THE CONTACTS LIST The Contacts list, shown in Figure 4-18, allows you to collect email addresses and other information about the

3

people with whom you correspond or otherwise interact. OPEN THE CONTACTS LIST To open the Contacts list: Click Contacts in the lower-left corner of Windows

44

Live Mail. ADD A NEW CONTACT To add a new contact to the Contacts list:

1. With Windows Live Contacts open, click New on

5

the toolbar. The Add A Contact window opens.

Figure 4-17: Work with a message you have received in the inbox or in its own window.

2. Enter as much of the information as you have or want. For email, you need a name and an email address, as shown in the Quick Add category. If you have additional information, such as a

6

nickname, several email addresses, several phone numbers, or a home address for the contact, click the other categories on the left and fill in the desired information.

7

3. When you are done, click Add Contact to close the Add A Contact window. Continued . . .

8

TIP When you have several email addresses in a single contact’s record, they are all displayed when you go to enter the contact in an email message so you can select

9

the address you want.

10

Figure 4-18: The Contacts list provides a place to store information about the people with whom you correspond.

90 90


1


ADD CONTACT CATEGORIES You can group contacts by category and then send messages to everyone in the category. To categorize a

1. In Windows Live Contacts, click the New down arrow, and click Category. The Create A New

–Or– Click Forward to relay a message to people not shown as addressees on the original message.

3

group of contacts:

Click Reply All to return a message to all the people who were addressees (both To and Cc) in the original message.

2

USING THE CONTACTS LIST

In all three cases, a window similar to the New Message window opens and allows you to add or change addressees and the subject, and add a message.

Category dialog box appears.

your Contacts list that you want in the category. When you have selected all the names, click Save.

Use Stationery If you would like to add some character to your email messages, you can include a background image with them. You can do this individually for each message or for all your messages.

Contacts list. When you want to address a message to a category of people, start typing the category—it will be displayed with the contacts that are included in it. Click the category, or select an individual in the category to send the message to only that individual.

APPLY STATIONERY TO INDIVIDUAL MESSAGES

1. Open Windows Live Mail and click New on the toolbar. 2. In the New Message window, click Stationery, click More Stationery for stationery options, select one (as shown in Figure 4-19), and then click OK. The New Message window will open with your stationery displayed.

6

category name to send the message to everyone in the

5

3. When you are done, click Close to close the

44

2. Enter the category name, and click the names in

3. Address, enter, and send the message as you otherwise would, and then close Windows Live Mail.

APPLY STATIONERY TO ALL MESSAGES

7

1. Open Windows Live Mail, click the Menus icon on the toolbar, and click Options. 2. Click the Compose tab, and, under Stationery, click Mail. 3. Click Select, select the stationery that you want to apply to all your email, click OK twice, and then close Windows Live Mail.

8

TIP If you see an email address in an email message that in its own window and click Add Contact. This creates a new contact and opens its Add A Contact window so that you can make changes and add other information.

The simplest messages are sent in plain text without any formatting. These messages take the least bandwidth and are the easiest to receive. If you wish, you can send messages with formatting using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the language with which many Web sites have been created. You can do this for an individual message and for all messages. 91 91

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9

you want to add to your Contacts list, open the message

Apply Formatting

1

APPLY FORMATTING TO ALL MESSAGES

2

1. Open Windows Live Mail, click the Menus icon, and click Options.

2. Click the Send tab. Under Mail Sending Format, click HTML.

3

3. Click OK, and then close Windows Live Mail. SELECT A FONT AND A COLOR FOR ALL MESSAGES

44

To use a particular font and font color on all of your email messages (you must send your mail using HTML in place of plain text—see “Apply Formatting to All Messages”):

5

1. Open Windows Live Mail, click the Menus icon, and click Options.

6

2. Click the Compose tab. Under Compose Font, click Figure 4-19: In addition to the stationery that comes with Windows Live Mail, you can create your own by saving either a web page or a photograph in the My Documents\ My Stationery folder.

Font Settings opposite Mail.

3. Select the font, style, size, effects, and color that you want to use (see Figure 4-20) with all your email, click OK twice, and then close Windows Live Mail.

7

CAUTION Not all email programs can properly receive HTML messages, which results in messages that are not very readable. However, most programs released in the last

9

8

10 years can handle HTML.

10

Figure 4-20: If you send your mail using HTML instead of plain text, you can apply fonts and color and do many other things not available with plain text. 92 92


1

NOTE in the Signatures tab of the Options dialog box and select the account(s) with which to use a selected signature.

USING WEB MAIL Web mail is the sending and receiving of email over the

To attach a signature (a closing) on all of your email messages:

1. Open Windows Live Mail, click the Menus icon, and click Options. 2. Click the Signatures tab, and click New. Under Edit Signature, enter the closing text you want to use, or click File and enter or browse to the path and filename you want for the closing. The file could be a graphic image, such as a scan of your written signature, if you wished.

3. Click Add Signatures To All Outgoing Messages, as shown in Figure 4-21, and click OK. Then close Windows Live Mail.

are a number of Web mail programs, such as Windows Live Hotmail (www.hotmail.com), Yahoo! Mail (http://mail .yahoo.com), and Google’s Gmail (http://mail.google.com).

Attach Files to Email You can attach and send files, such as documents or images, with email messages.

1. Open Windows Live Mail, and click New on the toolbar.

5

So long as you have access to the Internet, you can sign

44

Internet using a browser, such as Internet Explorer, instead of an email program, such as Windows Live Mail. There

3

UICKSTEPS

ATTACH A SIGNATURE

2

If you have several email accounts, you can click Advanced

up for one or more of these services. The basic features (simple sending and receiving of email) are often free. For example, to sign up for Windows Live Hotmail:

6

1. Open Internet Explorer. In the address bar, type www.hotmail.com, and press ENTER.

2. If you already have a Windows Live account, enter your ID and password, and click Sign In. Otherwise, under Windows Live Hotmail, click

7

Sign Up, fill in the requested information, and click I Accept The Terms Of Use.

3. When you are done, the Windows Live Hotmail page will open and display your mail, as shown in

8

Figure 4-22.

4. Click the envelope icon to open and read a message.

5. Click New on the toolbar to write an email

9

message. Enter the address, a subject, and the message. When you are done, click Send.

6. When you are finished with Hotmail, close Internet Explorer.

Figure 4-21: A “signature” in Windows Live Mail is really a closing. 93 93

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1 2

TIP A way to quickly open Windows Live Hotmail, if you still have the Windows Live toolbar in Internet Explorer, is to click Mail in this toolbar. Otherwise, with Hotmail already open in Internet Explorer, click the Add To Favorites Bar

3

icon above the tab row. Windows Live Hotmail will appear in the Favorites bar. In the future, click it once to open

6

5

44

Windows Live Hotmail.

Figure 4-22: Web mail accounts are a quick and free way to get one or more email accounts.

7

TIP With a New Message window open, you can drag a file from Windows Explorer or the desktop to the message, and it will automatically be attached and sent with the

2. Click Attach on the toolbar. Select the folder and file you want to send, and click Open. The attachment will be shown below the subject.

3. Address, enter, and send the message as you normally would, and then close Windows Live Mail.

8

message.

Use Calendar

10

9

Windows Live Mail includes a calendar capability to keep track of scheduled events. To open the Calendar: Click Calendar in the lower-left corner of Windows Live Mail. Calendar will open, as shown in Figure 4-23.

94 94


1

DIRECTLY ADD EVENTS TO A CALENDAR

2

To add an event to a calendar date:

1. With the calendar open, right-click a date on the calendar, and click New Event. The New Event window will open.

3

2. Enter the subject, location, dates and times, and a message, as shown in Figure 4-24.

3. If you have multiple calendars, click the Calendar down

44

arrow, and select the calendar you want to use. Also, select how you want the calendar to reflect your time during the event.

4. If the event will happen on a repeated basis, click the No Recurrence down arrow, and click the period for this event.

5. When you have completed the event, click either Save

5

& Close to store the event on your calendar or Send In Email to send this to others for their schedules.

6. If you selected Send In Email, an email message will open. Make any desired changes, and click Send.

Figure 4-23: The Windows Live Mail calendar looks similar to the Microsoft Office Outlook calendar.

6

ADD AN EMAIL MESSAGE TO A CALENDAR

When you receive an email message with scheduling ramifications, you can directly add its information to your calendar.

8

information. You can click Add To Calendar from the mail window, or double-click the message to open it and click Add To Calendar from the message window. In both cases, an event window will open.

7

1. In Windows Live Mail, click the message that has calendar

2. Unfortunately, the subject and the body are the only fields that are filled in for you. You must fill in the location, dates and times, and whether it is recurring.

9

95 95

10


1

After filling in the pertinent information, click Save & Close. The event will appear on your calendar.

4.

Click Close to close the Windows Live Mail Calendar window when you are ready.

44

3

2

3.

5

Participate in Newsgroups

6

Figure 4-24: The Windows Live Mail calendar allows you to send scheduled events to others to put on their calendars.

Newsgroups are organized chains of messages on a particular subject. Newsgroups allow people to enter new messages and respond to previous ones. To participate in one or more newsgroups, you need to set up a newsgroup account, then locate and open a particular newsgroup, and finally send and receive messages within the newsgroup. SET UP A NEWSGROUP ACCOUNT

7

Setting up a new account for a newsgroup is similar to setting up the account for your email. To set up a newsgroup account, you need the name of the news server and, possibly, an account name and password.

1. Open Windows Live Mail, and click Newsgroups. Click Yes when asked if you want to set Windows Live Mail as your news client.

8

2. Click View Newsgroups. A list of Microsoft public newsgroups will appear. If you wish to just view a newsgroup, select that newsgroup and click Go To. If you wish to view a newsgroup over a period of time, click Subscribe. Click OK.

3. To participate in newsgroups outside of Microsoft, click Add Newsgroup Account.

10

9

Enter the name you want displayed, and click Next. Enter your email address if not already displayed, and click Next.

96 96


1

To unsubscribe to a newsgroup, right-click the newsgroup

4. Enter the name of your news server. Your ISP or sponsoring organization will give

2

NOTE

you this. If you do not need to enter an account name and password, your ISP or sponsoring organization also will tell you this, and you can skip to step 6.

5. To enter an account name and password, click My News Server Requires Me To Log

window, and click Unsubscribe. Click OK to confirm.

On, and click Next. Enter your account name and password, and click Remember Password (if desired).

3

name in the list of groups on the left of the newsgroup

6. Click Next, click Finish, and click OK to show available newsgroups and turn on

SUBSCRIBE TO A NEWSGROUP

44

communities. Newsgroups will be downloaded from your news server. This could take several minutes. A new account will appear in the Newsgroup Subscriptions window and a list of newsgroups will be displayed, as shown in Figure 4-25.

Most general-purpose news servers, such as those maintained by ISPs, have a great many newsgroups, probably only some of which might interest you. To subscribe to a newsgroup (meaning to read and reply to messages they contain on a recurring basis):

5

1. If you have just come from setting up a

6

newsgroup account, skip to step 2. Otherwise, open Windows Live Mail and click Newsgroups.

2. Click the news server you want to use in the left column, and click View Newsgroups.

7

3. To search for a particular newsgroup, type a

8

keyword (such as Computers) in the Display Newsgroups That Contain text box, and press ENTER (newsgroups start popping up as you type your search keywords and you may not need to press ENTER).

4. Double-click the newsgroups to which you want Figure 4-25: A list of newsgroups to which you can subscribe.

97 97

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9

to subscribe. An icon appears to the left of each newsgroup you double-click. After you have selected the newsgroups, click OK. You are returned to Windows Live Mail Newsgroups.

1 2

READ AND POST MESSAGES IN A NEWSGROUP

3

For newsgroups to which you have subscribed, you can read and send messages like email messages, but with two differences. You can choose to reply to the newsgroup or to the individual, and a new message is called a write message. If someone replies to this message, it gets added to the end of the original message, thereby creating a chain, or thread, of messages on a given subject.

1. Open Windows Live Mail, open your news server, and click a newsgroup you want to 2.

Click the triangular icon on the left of a message (this identifies that there are replies) to open the related messages.

3.

Click a message to display it in the bottom pane, as shown in Figure 4-26. Or, double-click the message to have it displayed in its own window.

4.

To initiate a newsgroup thread or respond to a newsgroup thread:

5

44

open. A list of messages will be displayed.

6

Click New on the toolbar to create a public message that will begin a new thread.

7

–Or– Click Reply Group on the toolbar to create a public message in the thread you have selected. –Or–

8

Click Reply on the toolbar to create a private message to the person who wrote the message you have selected. –Or–

9

Click Forward on the toolbar to send a copy of the message you have selected to one or more individuals.

Figure 4-26: A newsgroup provides a thread on a given topic to which you can add your comments.

5. Create and send the message as you would any email message. When you are done,

10

close Windows Live Mail. 98 98


1

NOTE a permanent record unless you specifically save the exchange. The first time you send a message, you will be asked if you want to save your messages. You can also change this selection by clicking the Show

Use Windows Live Messenger

2

Windows Live Messenger does not normally create

Windows Live Messenger allows you to instantly send and receive messages (or chat) with others who are online at the same time as you. (It is frequently called “instant messaging” or IM.)

3

Menu icon, clicking Tools, clicking Options, clicking Messages, clicking Automatically Keep A History Of My Conversations, and clicking OK.

Set Up Windows Live Messenger

6

ESTABLISH A WINDOWS LIVE ACCOUNT

5

The use of Windows Live Messenger requires that you first have a Microsoft Live account or an MSN or Hotmail account, which you may have done earlier in this chapter in the “Using Web Mail” QuickSteps. Once you have an account, you are able to set up your contacts and personalize Messenger to your tastes.

44

When you installed Windows Live Essentials to get Windows Live Mail, you probably also installed Windows Live Messenger; it is selected by default. If so, its icon may be on the taskbar or at least it is in the Start menu. If you didn’t install it and want to now, return to the “Get Windows Mail” section and follow the instructions there.

With Windows Live Messenger installed, open it and establish a Windows Live account.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Windows Live, and click Windows Live

7

Messenger. The Windows Live Messenger window will open, as you can see here.

2. If you already have a Windows Live account, enter your email address and password, and click Sign In. Go to the next section, “Add Contacts to Messenger.”

3. If you don’t have a Windows Live account, click Sign Up. Internet Explorer will open

8

and the Windows Live registration will appear. Enter the information requested, click I Accept, and when you are told you have successfully registered your email address, close your browser. You will be returned to Windows Live Messenger.

4. Enter your email address and your password, and then click Sign In.

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99 99

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1 2

ADD CONTACTS TO MESSENGER

To use Windows Live Messenger, you must enter contacts for people you want to “talk” to.

1. If Windows Live Messenger is not already open, click its icon in the taskbar. If the icon

3

isn’t there, click Start, click All Programs, click Windows Live, and click Windows Live Messenger.

2. Click the Add A Contact Or Group icon

3.

If you want, click Search Contacts, enter the person’s name as best you can, and press ENTER. If more than one person fits your criteria, click Add for the one you want, or click the name for more information; if you then want to add them, click Add and their name. You can also send the person an email message by clicking Send Message, entering a subject and your message, and clicking Send.

4.

When you are done adding contacts, close Internet Explorer. If want to exit Windows Live Messenger, click Close.

6

5

44

in the Windows Live Messenger window, and then click Add A Contact. If you know your contact’s IM address, click in the Instant Messaging Address text box, and enter the address; if text messaging, enter a country and the cell phone number, select a category, and click Next. Enter a brief message, and click Send Invitation. Depending on the person’s status—whether they are online and whether they accept your invitation—you will get a response accordingly.

PERSONALIZE MESSENGER

1.

Open Windows Live Messenger, click the Show Menu icon and click Options.

2.

Click the Personal tab (see Figure 4-27), enter the name you want to use, click Change Picture, select or browse for the picture you want, and click OK.

3.

Click the Privacy tab, and place your contacts on either the Allow or Block list. To move a contact from one column to the other, select that contact and click Allow or Block.

4. 5.

Click the other tabs, and set the options that are best for you.

9

8

7

There are a number of ways to personalize Windows Live Messenger.

10

Figure 4-27: Setting Windows Live Messenger options.

100 100

Windows 7 QuickSteps Using the Internet PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC

, click Tools,

When you have personalized Windows Live Messenger the way you want, click OK. If you want to exit Windows Live Messenger, click Close.

1

UICKSTEPS 2

USING WINDOWS LIVE MESSENGER Using Windows Live Messenger is simple: double-click a contact. If they are online, the Conversation window will open, as shown in Figure 4-28. If they are not online,

3

you will be told the contact will be given the message the next time they are online. SEND A MESSAGE With the Conversation window open (done by double-

44

clicking a contact), send a message by typing it in the bottom pane and pressing ENTER. You can add emoticons (smiley faces), change the font, and/or change the message background with the icons below the text box.

5

RECEIVE A MESSAGE With a conversation in process, a received message appears in the Conversation window, as you can see in

Figure 4-28: When a conversation is in process, you can see who said what in the Conversation window.

Figure 4-28. If someone sends you an instant message

6

without a Conversation window open, you will get a little pop-up message from your notification area. Double-click this message to open a Conversation window with the sender.

7

TIP 8

If you want to stop receiving comments permanently from another person (for example, if that person’s remarks are getting offensive) click Block, which only appears in the menu bar during an active conversation.

9

101 101

10

Windows 7 QuickSteps Using theYour Internet PC QuickSteps Getting to Know PC


1

How to… Automatically Start Programs

•

Start Programs Minimized

•

Schedule Programs

2

•

•

Control Programs with the Task Manager Stopping Programs

•

Start Older Programs

•

Control Automatic Programs

•

Control Windows Indexing Running Accessory Programs

Use the Action Center

•

Restore Windows 7

•

Get System Information

•

Set Power Options

•

Add and Remove Software

•

Add Hardware

•

Use Remote Assistance

Start and Stop Programs Previous chapters discussed starting programs from the Start menu, through All Programs, through a shortcut on the desktop, and by locating the program with Windows Explorer. All of these methods require a direct action by you. Windows also provides several ways to automatically start programs and to monitor and manage them while they are running.

8

•

7

Update Windows 7

Running programs is one of Windows 7’s major functions. The managing of Windows 7, the subject of this chapter, entails setting up the starting and stopping of programs in a number of different ways. Management also includes the maintenance and enhancement of Windows 7 and the setting up of Remote Assistance so that you can have someone help you without that person actually being in front of your computer.

6

•

Managing Windows 7

55

Start a Program in Run

Chapter 5

4

•

3

Switching Programs

9

Managing Windows 7

103

10


1 2

NOTE In many of the steps in this chapter, you will be interrupted and asked by User Account Control (UAC) for permission to continue. So long as it is something you started and want to do, you should click Continue or enter a password. To

3

simplify the instructions in this chapter, the UAC instructions have been left out. Chapter 8 discusses UAC in more detail.

Automatically Start Programs Sometimes, you will want to start a program automatically and have it run in the background every time you start the computer. For example, you might automatically run an antivirus program or a screen-capture program (such as SnagIt, which was used to capture the figures and illustrations you see here). To automatically start a program, open a folder, or open a file in a program:

1. Click Start, click All Programs,

4

NOTE You must have administrative privileges and share the place a shortcut there. See Chapter 8 for a discussion of sharing folders and setting up privileges.

6

55

Startup folder, giving “Everyone” co-ownership in order to

right-click Startup, and click Open All Users. The Startup folder will open.

2. Click Start and click Computer to open Windows Explorer. Position the Explorer window so that you can see both it and the Startup window on the desktop at the same time (right-click the taskbar and click Show Windows Side By Side to arrange both windows).

3. In Explorer, open the drive and folders needed to display the program file you want to automatically start, or the folder or disk drive you want to automatically open, or the file you want to automatically start in its program.

7

4. Hold the right mouse button

8

while dragging (right-drag) the program file, the folder, or the file to the open Startup folder, as you can see in Figure 5-1. When you reach the Startup folder, click Create Link In Startup.

5. Close the Startup folder and

9

Windows Explorer. The next time you start your computer, the action you want will take place.

10

Figure 5-1: Programs in the Startup folder are automatically started when you start Windows 7. 104 104

Windows 7 QuickSteps Managing PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Windows Your PC 7

1

NOTE started without being in the Startup folder. You can see these programs and manage them using MSConfig, discussed later in this chapter.

Start Programs Minimized Sometimes, when you start programs automatically, you want them to run in the background—in other words, minimized. To do that:

2

Some programs automatically start when Windows 7 is

1. Click Start, click All Programs, right-click Startup, and click Open All Users to open

3

the Startup folder.

2. Right-click the program you want minimized, and click Properties. Click the Shortcut tab.

4

3. Click the Run down arrow, and click Minimized, as shown in Figure 5-2. 4. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box, and then close the Startup folder.

Schedule Programs

6

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and click Task

55

You can schedule a program to run automatically using Windows 7’s Task Scheduler, although you may need to specify how the program is to run using command-line parameters or arguments. See how to use Help in step 2 of “Start Older Programs” later in this chapter to learn what parameters are available for the program you want to run. Scheduler. The Task Scheduler window will open, as you can see in Figure 5-3.

2. Click Create Basic Task in the Actions pane or in the Action menu. The Create A

7

Basic Task Wizard opens. Type a name and description, and click Next. Select what you want to use as a trigger, and again click Next.

3. Depending on what you choose for the trigger, you may have to select the start date and time and enter additional information, such as the day of the week for a weekly trigger. Click Next.

8

4. Choose whether you want to start a program, send an email, or display a message, and click Next.

5. If you want to start a program, select it either from the list of programs or by browsing

Figure 5-2: Minimizing a program, when it has automatically started, lets it run in the background.

9

to it, add any arguments that are to be passed to the program when it starts, and indicate if you would like the program to be looking at a particular folder when it starts (Start In). –Or–

105 105

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Windows 7 QuickSteps Managing PC QuickSteps Getting to KnowWindows Your PC 7

1 2

NOTE Many programs, such as backup and antivirus programs, use their own scheduler to run automatically on a

55

4

3

scheduled basis.

6

Figure 5-3: The Task Scheduler is used by Windows 7 for many of its tasks, but you can also use it to repeatedly perform a task you want.

7

If you want to send an email, type the From and To email addresses, the subject, and text; browse to and select an attachment; and type your SMTP email server (this your outgoing mail server that you entered when you set up Windows Mail—see Chapter 4). –Or–

NOTE

If you want to display a message, type a title and the message you want it to contain.

8

The Create Task dialog box, basically identical to the Task Scheduler Properties dialog box, can be used to set up a scheduled task instead of using the Task Scheduler Wizard. Click Create Task instead of clicking Create

9

Basic Task.

6. Click Next. The Summary dialog box will appear, as shown in Figure 5-4. Click Open

10

The Properties Dialog For This Task When I Click Finish, and click Finish. The Task Properties dialog box will appear.

106 106


1

TIP 2

Right-click a task in the center pane of the Task Scheduler to work with it. Click Properties to edit the task’s settings.

3

UICKSTEPS 4

SWITCHING PROGRAMS You can switch programs that are running on the desktop, on the taskbar, and on the task list. You can also switch them using the Task Manager (see “Control Programs with the Task Manager” later in this chapter).

55

SWITCH PROGRAMS ON THE DESKTOP If you have several programs running and arranged so that you can see all of them, switch from one to another by clicking the program you want to be active. However,

Figure 5-4: The Task Scheduler can be used to send email messages and display a message on your screen, as well as to start a program.

6

if you have more than two or three programs running, it may be hard to see them on the desktop and, therefore,

7. Look at each of the tabs, review the information you have entered, and determine if

to select the one you want. SWITCH PROGRAMS ON THE TASKBAR be able to see their tasks on the taskbar. Clicking the task will switch to that program.

8. When you are done reviewing the scheduled task, click OK. Click Task Scheduler Library in the left pane (called the console tree). You should see your scheduled task in the middle pane. Close the Task Scheduler window.

7

If you have up to five or six programs running, you should

you need to change anything.

If you have multiple instances of a single program open, they will, by default, be grouped in a single

8

icon. For example, in the illustration shown here, the taskbar icon indicates that there are multiple instances open for Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel.

9

Continued . . .

107 107

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1 2 3

UICKSTEPS SWITCHING PROGRAMS

(Continued)

To select a particular instance of a program when there are multiple instances running, mouse over the icon on

4

the taskbar to open thumbnails of the several instances, then mouse over the one you want to see enlarged. Finally, when you are ready to fully open one particular instance, click the thumbnail for that instance, as you can

55

see in Figure 5-5. SWITCH PROGRAMS ON THE TASK LIST The oldest method of switching programs, which predates Windows 95 and the taskbar, is using the task list.

6

1. Press ALT+TAB and hold down ALT. The task list will appear.

2. While continuing to hold down ALT, press TAB repeatedly until the highlight moves to the program and instance you want or the desktop

7

on the right. Then release ALT or click an icon to

Figure 5-5: You can select one of several instance of a running program by mousing over the taskbar icon and the thumbnails, and then clicking the thumbnail you want.

select the program you want.

8

Control Programs with the Task Manager

10

9

The Windows Task Manager, shown in Figure 5-6, performs a number of functions, but most importantly, it allows you to see what programs and processes (individual threads of a program) are running and to unequivocally stop both. A display of real-time

108 108


1

UICKSTEPS 2

STOPPING PROGRAMS You may choose to stop a program simply because you are done using it or in an attempt to keep a program from harming your data or other programs.

3

USE THE CLOSE BUTTON One of the most common ways to close a program is to click the Close button on the upper-right corner of all windows.

4

USE THE EXIT COMMAND Almost all programs have an Exit command in a menu on the far left of the menu bar; often, this is the File menu (in Microsoft Office 2007, the Office Button is the

55

“menu” and the exit command is located in the lowerright corner). Open this menu and click Exit. CLOSE FROM THE TASKBAR

Figure 5-6: The Task Manager shows you what programs are running and allows you to stop them.

There are two ways to close

6

a program from the taskbar. Mouse over the icon, move the mouse to the red X in the upperthumbnail, and click. –Or– Right-click a task on Close Window. CLOSE FROM THE KEYBOARD With the program you want to close open and selected,

If none of these options work, see “Control Programs with the Task Manager.”

2. Click the Applications tab. You’ll see a list of the programs you are running, as shown in Figure 5-6.

3. Click a program in the list. Click End Task to stop the program, or click Switch To to activate that program.

4. Click New Task to open the Run command, where you can enter a program you want to start. See “Start a Program in Run,” next.

5. Click the Processes tab. Here you see a list of all the processes that are currently

9

press ALT+F4.

click a blank area of the taskbar, and click Start Task Manager.

8

the taskbar, and click

1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE and click Start Task Manager. Alternately, you can right-

7

right corner of the

graphs and tables also shows you what is happening at any second on your computer, as you can see in Figure 5-7. To work with the Task Manager:

running and their CPU (percentage) and memory (KB) usage. Most of these processes are components of Windows 7.

109 109

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1 2

TIP If you don’t want tasks grouped on the taskbar, rightclick an empty area of the taskbar, click Properties, click the Taskbar Buttons down arrow, and click Never Combine. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.

3

This not only doesn’t combine, it also adds a title to each task or icon— taking up a lot of room. This method is not

55

4

recommended.

6

NOTE

Figure 5-7: Under most circumstances, on a personal computer, only a small fraction of the computer’s resources are being used.

It could be that none of the options mentioned in “Stopping Programs” QuickSteps will work if the program

7

is performing a task or has some fault. In that case, if you want to force the program to stop, shut down Windows itself and click Force Shut Down.

6. Click the Services tab. This is a list of the Windows 7 services that are active and their status. There is nothing that you can do here except observe it.

7. Click the Performance tab. This tab graphically shows the CPU and memory usage (see Figure 5-7), while the Networking tab shows the computer’s use of the network. The Users tab shows the users that are logged on to the computer. You can disconnect them if they are coming in over the network or log them off if they are directly logged on.

8

8. When you are done, close the Windows Task Manager.

CAUTION 9

It is generally not a good idea to end a process. Instead, stop the program in the Applications tab that is

10

generating the process.

110 110


Start a Program in Run The Start menu has an option called “Run” that opens the Run dialog box. This is the same dialog box that is opened by clicking New Task in the Task Manager (see “Control Programs with the Task Manager” earlier in

1 2

this chapter). From this dialog box, you can start most programs if you know the path to the program, its name, and don’t mind typing all that information.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and click Run. –Or–

3

Click Start, type run in the Search Programs And Files box, and press ENTER.

2. In either case, the Run dialog box will appear. Type the path and filename of the program you want to run, and press ENTER.

Programs that are part of Windows 7 or that are in the root directory (C:\) do not require you to type the path. See “Control Automatic Programs” later in this chapter.

Start Older Programs

4

NOTE

Type help and press ENTER. A list of commands that can be used at the command prompt will be displayed, as shown in Figure 5-8 (the colors of the background and text have been switched for printing purposes).

3.

To run a program in the Games folder on the C: drive (if you have one—it is not there by default), type cd c:\games (change directory to c:\games), press ENTER, type dir /p (to display the contents of the directory), press ENTER to see the name of the program, type the name of the program, and press ENTER. The program should run, although not all programs will run in Windows 7.

4.

When you are done with the Command Prompt window, type exit and press ENTER.

8

2.

7

Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and click Command Prompt. The Command Prompt window will open.

6

1.

55

While you can start most programs from the desktop or Start menu, older, less sophisticated programs require that they be run in their own isolated window named Command Prompt (also called a DOS, or Disk Operating System, window). Here, you can type DOS commands at the flashing underscore, which is called the command prompt.

9

Figure 5-8: At the command prompt, you can type DOS commands, which Windows 7 will carry out. 111 111

10


1 2

NOTE If you open the Command Prompt window, you will see white text on a black background. For Figure 5-8, the text and background colors have been reversed by clicking the control menu in the upper-left corner, clicking

3

Properties, clicking the Colors tab, and selecting black in the Screen Text field and white in the Screen Background field. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.

Control Automatic Programs Sometimes, when you install a program, it sets up itself or other programs to run in perpetuity, even if that is not what you had in mind. Many of these programs are not started from the Startup folder. To control these programs and prevent them from running, Windows 7 has a program named MSConfig, and the easiest way to start it is from the Run dialog box.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and click Run. –Or–

4

CAUTION Unless you are trying to diagnose a problem and have some experience doing this, you normally do not want to

55

change the settings in the System Configuration Utility dialog box. However, you can safely stop obvious known

2. Type msconfig and press ENTER. The System Configuration Utility dialog box appears. 3. Click the Startup tab. You will see a list of all the programs that start when Windows 7 starts, as shown in Figure 5-9.

4. Clear the check box to deselect a program so that it is not started the next time Windows 7 starts. When you are done, click OK to close the System Configuration Utility dialog box. A System Configuration message box will appear. Click Restart to restart your computer and reflect the changes you have made.

9

8

7

6

Windows-related programs without harm.

Click Start, type run in the Search Programs And Files box, and press ENTER.

10

Figure 5-9: In the System Configuration Utility (MSConfig) dialog box, you can see and stop from running all of the programs that Windows 7 starts automatically.

112 112


1

NOTE cannot turn off indexing—it is an integral part of the search facility. Windows Indexing has become quite efficient and seldom affects the performance of the computer. Also, you shouldn’t index your full C: drive, as it

Windows 7 automatically indexes the files that are stored on a computer to substantially speed up your searches of files and folders.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, select Large Icons view if it is not already selected, and click Indexing Options to open the Indexing Options dialog box.

3

this includes program files that will slow down the search

Control Windows Indexing

2

Unlike earlier versions of Windows, in Windows 7, you

for your own data, music, and other personal files.

4

55 6 7

2. If you want to change what is being indexed, click Modify, click the triangle icon to

8

open the drives on your computer, and click the folders, as shown in Figure 5-10. Then click OK.

3. If you want to change the types of files being indexed, click Advanced. Choose if you

9

Figure 5-10: Windows Indexing uses idle time to index your files and folders.

want encrypted files indexed, or if you want similar words that have different marks (diacritics such as the accent, grave, and umlaut) that change the sound and meaning of the word indexed differently. Click the File Types tab, and select the types of files you want included. When you are done, click OK.

4. Close the Indexing Options dialog box. 113 113

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1 2

UICKSTEPS RUNNING ACCESSORY PROGRAMS

Windows 7 maintenance consists of periodically updating fixes and new features, restoring Windows 7 when hardware or other software damages it, getting information about it, and installing new hardware and software.

Windows 7 comes with a number of accessory programs. You can open these by clicking Start, clicking All

3

Maintain Windows 7

Programs, and choosing Accessories. Many of these programs are discussed elsewhere in this book, but Calculator,

Update Windows 7

Character Map, Notepad, and Paint will

Microsoft tries hard to encourage you to allow Windows 7 to update itself, from the point of installation, where you are asked to establish automatic updates, to periodically reminding you to do that. If you turn on Automatic Updates, on a regular basis, Windows will automatically determine if any updates are available, download the updates (which come from Microsoft) over the Internet, and install them. If Automatic Updates was not turned on during installation, you can do that at any time and control the updating process once it is turned on.

4

be briefly looked at here. You should also explore these on your own. CALCULATOR The Calculator, started from

55

Accessories, has four alternative calculators, each with its own view:

• Standard desktop calculator • Scientific calculator, shown in

6

Figure 5-11

• Programmer calculator • Statistics calculator A unit converter, a date calculator, and four worksheets

7

for calculating a mortgage, a vehicle lease, and fuel economy in both mpg and L/100 km are included that are extensions to the current view. To switch from one view to the other, click View and click the other view. To use a calculator, click the numbers on the screen or type them

8

on the keyboard. CHARACTER MAP The Character Map, which is in System Tools, allows you to select special characters that are not available on a

9

standard keyboard.

1. Click the Font down arrow, and click the font you want for the special character.

10

Continued . . .

114 114


Figure 5-11: The Scientific view of the Calculator provides a number of advanced functions, including several extensions such as the unit converter shown here.

1

UICKSTEPS 2

RUNNING ACCESSORY PROGRAMS (Continued)

2. Scroll until you find it, and then double-click the character, or click the character and click Select,

3

to copy it to the Clipboard.

3. In the program where you want the character, right-click an open area, and click Paste or press CTRL+V.

4

NOTEPAD Notepad is a simple text editor you can use to view and create unformatted text (.txt) files. If you double-click a text file in Windows Explorer, Notepad will likely open

55

and display the file. If a line of text is too long to display without scrolling, click Format and click Word Wrap. To create a file, simply start typing in the Notepad window, click the File menu, and click Save. Before printing a file, click File; click Page Setup; and select the paper

6

orientation, margins, header, and footer. PAINT Paint lets you view, create, and edit bitmap image files in .bmp, .dib, .gif, .ico, .jpg, .png, and .tif formats. Several drawing tools and many colors are available to create

7

simple drawings and illustrations (see Figure 5-12).

Figure 5-12: Paint allows you to make simple line drawings or touch up images.

TURN ON AUTOMATIC UPDATES

To turn on, off, and control Windows Update:

8

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click System And Security, and click Windows Update. In Large Icons view, click Windows Update.

2. Click Change Settings, determine the amount of automation you want, and click one

9

of the following four choices after clicking the Important Updates down arrow (see Figure 5-13):

• The first and recommended choice, which is the default, automatically determines if there are updates that are needed, downloads them, and then installs them on a frequency and at a time you specify. 115 115

10


1 2

• The second choice automatically determines if there are updates that are needed and downloads them; it then asks you whether you want to install them.

• The third choice automatically determines if there are 3

updates that are needed, asks you before downloading them, and asks you again before installing them.

• The fourth choice, which is not recommended, never checks for updates.

3. Choose whether to include recommended updates when

4

you are otherwise online with Microsoft, whether all users can install the updates, and whether to use Microsoft Update Service to receive updates for other Microsoft products you have installed, like Microsoft Office.

55

4. Click OK when you are finished, and close Windows Update. APPLY UPDATES

7

6

If you choose either the second or third option for handling updates, you will periodically see a notice that updates are ready to download and/or install.

Figure 5-13: Automatic Updates determines which updates you need and can automatically download and install them.

When you see the notice:

1. Click the notice. The Windows Updates dialog box will appear and show you the updates that are available.

8

2. Click the individual updates to see detailed information for the updates being proposed. 3. Select the check box for the updates you want to download and/or install, and then click OK.

4. After you have selected all the updates you want, click Install Updates. You will see a

9

notice that the updates are being installed.

5. When the updates have been downloaded and installed, Windows Update will reopen, tell of this fact, and often ask to restart your computer.

10

6. Close any open programs, and click Restart Now. 116 116


1 3

The Windows Action Center contains messages that have been sent to you from Windows and other programs that, at least from the viewpoint of the program, you need to respond to. When a message is sent to you by a program, a flag with a red X appears in the notification area.

2

Use the Action Center

Click the notification area Action Center flag to open the Action Center jump list. Click any option on the jump list to go directly to the window or dialog box, where you can view the message and possibly take corrective actions.

4

–Or–

1. Click Open Action Center to review recent messages and resolve problems, as you can see in Figure 5-14.

2. Click the relevant item to address the issue, and when you

55

are ready, close the Action Center.

CHANGE ACTION CENTER SETTINGS

You can change how the Action Center informs you of an alert message.

6

1. From the Action Center, click Change Action Center Settings.

2. Select the security and maintenance messages you want to

7

see. Open any of the related settings that seem pertinent, returning to the Action Center when you are ready.

3. When your Action Center settings are the way you want them, click OK and close the Action Center.

8

Restore Windows 7 System Restore keeps track of the changes you make to your system, including the software you install and the settings you make. If a hardware change, a software

9

Figure 5-14: The Action Center consolidates and maintains alert messages that are sent to you by the programs you run. 117 117

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1 2

NOTE System Restore does not restore or make any changes to data files, only to system and application program files. Data files must be backed up, using either the Windows 7 backup program or a third-party backup program, and

3

then restored from a backup.

4

NOTE System Restore actually needs at least 300MB on each hard drive that has the feature turned on, and may use up to 15 percent of each drive. If a drive is smaller than 1GB, System Restore cannot be used.

installation, or something else causes the system not to load or not to run properly, you can use System Restore to return the system to the way it was at the last restore point. SET UP SYSTEM RESTORE

In a default installation of Windows 7, System Restore is automatically installed. If you have at least 300MB of free disk space after installing Windows 7, System Restore will be turned on and the first restore point will be set. If System Restore is not enabled, you can turn it on and set a restore point:

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click System And Security, click System, and click System Protection in the left pane. The System Properties dialog box will appear with the System Protection tab displayed, as you can see in Figure 5-15.

55

2. By default, the disk on which Windows 7 is installed should have system protection turned on, indicating that System Restore is automatically operating for that disk. Again by default, your other hard drives are not selected.

3. If any drive does not have protection on and you want it on, select the disk, click

6

Configure, click Restore System Settings And Previous Versions Of Files, adjust the disk space usage as desired, and click OK.

4. When you have made the adjustments you want, click OK. CREATE RESTORE POINTS

8

7

A restore point is an identifiable point in time when you know your system was working correctly. If your computer’s settings are saved at that point, you can use those settings to restore your computer to that time. Normally, Windows 7 automatically creates restore points for the system drive on a periodic basis. But if you know at a given point in time that your computer is operating exactly the way you want it to, you can create a restore point.

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click System And Security,

9

click System, and click System Protection in the left pane. The System Properties dialog box will appear with the System Protection tab displayed.

2. Click Create and type a name for the restore point. The date and time are

10

Figure 5-15: System Restore returns the system to a previous time when it was functioning normally.

118 118


automatically added, and you cannot change the name once you create it.

1

3. Click Create again. You will be told when the restore point is created. Click OK and

2

click Close to close the System Properties dialog box.

TIP You can restore from a system restore. Immediately

3

before doing a system restore, a restore point is created and can be used to return to the point the system was at prior to performing this action. Simply re-run System Restore as described in either of the System Restore and follow the remaining instructions.

RUN SYSTEM RESTORE FROM WINDOWS

If you can start and operate Windows 7 normally, try to execute the following steps. If you can’t make it through these steps without Windows 7 crashing, go to the next section.

4

sections in this chapter, choose Undo System Restore,


2.

Click System Restore; a message explains the restore. Click Next to open the System Restore dialog box shown in Figure 5-16.

3.

Select the restore point you want to use, and click Scan For Affected Programs. This will tell you if any programs have been updated or had a driver installed after the restore point. If you go ahead with the restore, these programs will be restored to their state before the update.

4.

Click Close and click Next. You are asked to confirm the restore point the system will be returned to and given information about that point. If you do not want to restore to that point, click Back and return to step 3.

5.

System Restore will need to restart your computer, so make sure all other programs are closed. When you are ready to restore to the described point, click Finish.

8

6.

A confirmation dialog box appears, telling you that the restore process cannot be interrupted or undone until it has completed. Click Yes to continue. Some time will be spent saving files and settings for a new restore point, and then the computer will be restarted.

9

7.

When the restore is completed, you will be told that it was successful. Click Close.

10

119 119

7


6

Figure 5-16: You can do a system restore at any of the restore points on the computer and return all of the Windows 7 settings and registry to that point in time.

55

click System, and click System Protection in the left pane. The System Properties dialog box will appear with the System Protection tab displayed.

1 2

NOTE You must log on as the administrator, with the appropriate password, in order to run System Repair.

RUN SYSTEM RESTORE FROM SYSTEM RECOVERY

Windows 7 has a System Recovery mode that allows you to start Windows in a minimal way and fix many problems. You can start System Restore in this mode.

3

1. If your computer is turned on, turn it off (use Shut Down and make sure the power is off) and let it sit for at least two full minutes. This allows all of the components to fully discharge and will give you a clean restart.

2. After your computer has sat for at least two minutes without power, remove any disks

4

in the floppy, CD, or DVD drives, or any flash or USB drives, and turn the computer on. As soon as the memory check is complete, hold down the F8 key. After a moment, the Advanced Boot Options menu will appear.

3. If necessary, use the UP ARROW key to go to the top choice, Repair Your Computer, and then press ENTER. Windows 7 will begin loading.

55

TIP You can also run System Restore by clicking Start, clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, clicking

6

System Tools, and clicking System Restore.

4. Select the type of keyboard you want to use, and click Next. Select and/or type your user name and password, and click Next.

5. Click System Restore. The System Restore window will open, as you saw earlier. Click Next.

6. Follow the instructions in “Run System Restore from Windows” earlier in this chapter, from step 3 on.

7. The restoration process will begin and Windows 7 will restart. The System Restore

7

dialog box will appear, telling you that the restoration was successful. Click OK.

Get System Information

8

When you are working on a computer problem, you, or possibly a technical support person working with you, will want some information about your computer. The two primary sources are basic computer information and advanced system information. BASIC COMPUTER INFORMATION

10

9

Basic computer information provides general system information, such as the Windows edition, the processor and memory, and the computer name and workgroup (see Figure 5-17). To see the basic computer information:

120 120


1 2

Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click System And Security, and click System. The System window will open. After you have reviewed the information, click Close.

3

ADVANCED SYSTEM INFORMATION

55 6

Click Start and click All Programs. Click Accessories, click System Tools, and click System Information. The System Information window will open. Click any of the topics in the left pane to display that information in the right pane. Figure 5-18 shows the summary-level information that is available. Click Close when you are done.

4

Advanced system information provides detailed system information and lets you look at services that are running, Group Policy settings, and the error log. To see the advanced system information:

Set Power Options 7

Figure 5-17: Basic computer information provides an overview of the computer and its operating system.

8

Setting power options is important on laptop and notebook computers that run at least some of the time on batteries. It can also be useful on desktop computers to conserve power. The Windows 7 Power Options feature provides a number of settings that allow you to manage your computer’s use of power.

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click System And Security, and click Power Options.

9

121 121

10


1 2

2. Choose one of the power plans, depending on whether

3

3. To see a more detailed setting, click Choose When

4

you want to emphasize battery life (energy savings on desktops) or performance (see Figure 5-19). You can also reduce the screen brightness on a laptop or notebook computer to reduce the power drain.

4. Click each of the drop-down lists, select the setting that

To Turn Off The Display. If you are using a laptop or notebook computer, your power options will look like those in Figure 5-20. (A desktop computer won’t have the battery settings.)

55

is correct for you, and adjust the screen brightness. If you would like to control individual pieces of hardware (disk drives, USB ports, and so on), click Change Advanced Power Settings, click the plus signs to open the lists, click the action you want to change, and click the spinners to adjust the values. Click OK when you are finished.

6

5. When you are ready, click Save Changes to accept the changes you have made to your power options settings.

Add and Remove Software 7

Today, almost all application and utility software come in one of two ways: on a CD or DVD, or downloaded over the Internet.

8

Figure 5-18: Advanced system information provides a great depth of information useful in troubleshooting.

10

9

NOTE See Chapter 1 for a discussion of the differences between shutting down a computer and putting it to sleep.

122 122


INSTALL SOFTWARE FROM A CD

If you get software on a CD and your computer is less than 10 years old, all you need to do is put the CD in the drive, wait for the install program to automatically load, and follow the displayed instructions, of which there are usually only a few. When the installation is complete, you may need to acknowledge that by clicking OK or Finish. Then remove the CD from its drive. That is all there is to it.

1 2

Figure 5-19: Windows 7 has two preferred power plans that let you emphasize either performance or energy consumption.

3

NOTE In medium to larger organizations, application software

4

might be available over the LAN (local area network) on a server. Generally, it is better to download the software and then do the installation from your computer than to do the installation over the network in case the network connection is lost during installation (the same can be

55

said for online software; better to download and then install rather than installing directly through an Internet home network connection).

6

TIP If you are having trouble installing a program for no

7

discernable reason, make sure you are logged on with administrative permissions. Some programs or installation situations require these permissions; without them, the program refuses to install. See Chapter 8 to see how to establish and work with administrative

8

permissions.

9

Figure 5-20: You can set the amount of idle time before the display and/ or the computer are turned off or put to sleep, respectively. 123 123

10


1 2

INSTALL SOFTWARE FROM THE INTERNET

To download and install a program from the Internet:

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar. In the address bar, type the URL

3

(uniform resource locator, also called the address) for the source of the download, and press ENTER. (For this example, I’m downloading the Firefox web browser whose URL is http://www.mozilla.com, but you don’t need to type the http://.)

2. Locate the link for the download, and click it, as shown in Figure 5-21. You may need

3.

A dialog box will appear, asking if you want to run or save the program. Click Save. The Save As dialog box will appear and let you choose where you want to save the file. The desktop is a good place, at least initially, because you can easily double-click the program to start it. With the desktop or a folder you choose opened in the Save As dialog box, click Save.

4.

When you are told the download is complete, if you are offered this choice, click Run. If you are not offered the choice to run the program, open Windows Explorer, navigate to the drive and folder where you stored the program (possibly your desktop), and double-click the program you downloaded. At this point, click Run.

9

8

7

6

55

4

to approve the downloading in Internet Explorer by clicking the bar at the top of the window and clicking Download File.

10

Figure 5-21: Mozilla’s Firefox is a good alternative browser to Internet Explorer.

124 124


1

5.

Unless you are specifically told otherwise, always save a

6. Follow the program’s installation instructions, making the choices that are offered to you.

3

downloaded file to your hard disk and then, if a programspecific dialog box doesn’t automatically appear, allowing

7. When the installation is complete, you may be notified, the program may be

you to start the program, start it by double-clicking the file

started, Windows Explorer may be opened to show where the program is installed, and/or one or more shortcuts may be left on the desktop.

on your hard disk. That way, if there is a problem, you can restart it without having to download it a second time.

2

TIP

If the program does not have a valid digital signature (many do not) a message will appear telling you this and asking if want to continue. Decide that and, if so, click Run again; otherwise, click Don’t Run. User Account Control will also ask you if you are sure you want to go ahead. Click Yes if you do, or click No if you don’t.

4

8. Close the Windows Explorer window and any other windows and dialog boxes that were opened by this process.

REMOVE SOFTWARE

window is used to install updates and patches to changes or have downloaded them. With some programs you will get a third option: Repair.

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click Programs and click Programs And Features. The Uninstall Or Change A Program window will open, as you can see in Figure 5-22.

2. Click the program you want to uninstall, and click Uninstall on the toolbar. Follow the

7

programs. It requires that you have either a CD with the

6

The “change” part of the Uninstall Or Change A Program

55

NOTE

There are at least two ways to get rid of a program you have installed and one way not to do it. You do not want to just delete the program files in Windows Explorer. That leaves files in other locations and all the settings in the registry. To correctly remove a program, you need to use either the uninstall program that comes with many programs or Windows 7’s Uninstall Or Change A Program feature. To do the latter:

instructions as they are presented, which vary from program to program.

3. When the uninstall has successfully completed, close the Uninstall Or Change A Program window.

8

Add Hardware

125 125

10


9

Most hardware today is Plug and Play. That means that when you plug it in, Windows recognizes it and installs the necessary driver software automatically and you can immediately begin using it. Often, when you first turn on the computer after installing the hardware, you see a message telling you that you

1 4

3

2

have new hardware or that Windows is installing the device driver. Frequently, you need do nothing more; the installation will complete by itself. With other equipment, you must click the message for the installation to proceed. In either case, you are told when it has successfully completed.

6

55

Problems may occur when you have older hardware and the programs that run it, called drivers, are not included with Windows 7. In that case, you will see a dialog box saying you must locate the drivers. Here are some options for locating drivers:

•

Let Windows 7 see what it can do by itself by clicking Locate And Install Driver Software in the Found New Hardware dialog box. Windows 7 will scan your computer and see what it can find. The original dialog box appears only because a driver wasn’t in the standard Windows 7 driver folder. It may well be in other locations.

•

Microsoft has drivers for the most popular and recent devices and, as a part of Windows Update (discussed earlier in this chapter), the ability to scan your system and see if it has any drivers to help you. The first step is to look at Windows Update by clicking Start, clicking All Programs, and clicking Windows Update. Click Check For Updates in the upper-left area, and see if a driver for your device is found.

•

The manufacturer of the device is generally a good source, but as hardware gets older, manufacturers stop writing new drivers for more recent operating systems. The easiest way to look for manufacturer support is on the Internet. If you know the manufacturer’s Web site, you can enter it; or you may have to search for it. If you must search, start out by typing the manufacturer’s name in the Internet Explorer address bar. This uses Windows Live search and gives you a list of sites.

10

9

8

7

Figure 5-22: Programs are removed through the Uninstall Or Change A Program feature.

126 126


1 4

Use Remote Assistance

6 7 8

SET UP REMOTE ASSISTANCE

55

Remote Assistance allows you to invite someone to remotely look at your computer and control it for purposes of assisting you. The other person must be using Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003 or 2008, and it will be helpful if both of you have an email account. To use Remote Assistance, you must set it up, and then you can be either the requester or the helper. Figure 5-23: Many device drivers can be found by searching the Internet, although you may have to pay for them.

3

Third-party sources can be found using search engines like Google (www.google.com) and searching for “device drivers.” You should find a number of sources, as you can see in Figure 5-23. Some of these sources charge you for the driver; others are free. Make sure the driver will work with Windows 7.

2

•

Although Remote Assistance is installed with Windows 7, you must turn it on and set your firewall so that Windows 7 will allow it through. Both of these tasks are done in Control Panel.

9

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click System And Security, click System, and click Remote Settings in the left pane. The System Properties dialog box will appear with the Remote tab displayed (see Figure 5-24).

127 127

10


1 2

2. Select Allow Remote Assistance Connections To This Computer, if it isn’t already, and click Advanced.

3

3. Determine if you want

4

a person to control your computer, and select the check box under Remote Control accordingly. Set the time an invitation for Remote Assistance is to remain open.

4. Click OK twice to close the two open dialog boxes. In Control Panel, click Control

55

Panel in the address bar, click System And Security, and click Windows Firewall.

5. Click Allow A Program Or Feature Through Windows Firewall. The Allow Programs

6

Figure 5-24: Before using Remote Assistance, it must be turned on.

To Communicate Through Windows Firewall window will open and show the programs and features that are allowed through the firewall.

6. Click Change Settings toward the top of the window, then scroll through the list until you see Remote Assistance, and click it, if it isn’t already selected (see Figure 5-25).

7. Click OK to close the dialog box, close the Windows Firewall window, and then close

NOTE 7

REQUEST REMOTE ASSISTANCE If you are using Windows 7 and want to use Remote Assistance with someone using Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, you must be on the receiving end of the assistance and you cannot use Windows 7’s Pause

8

Control Panel.

feature. Also, the person using Windows XP/Server 2003 cannot use Start Talk for voice capability.

To use Remote Assistance, first find someone willing to provide it and request the assistance. Besides the obvious invitation text, the request for assistance message will include a password to access your computer and the code to allow the encryption of information to be sent back and forth. All this is provided for you with Windows Remote Assistance. To begin a Remote Assistance session:

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Maintenance, and click Windows Remote

10

9

Assistance to open the Windows Remote Assistance dialog box.

128 128


1

2. Click Invite Someone You Trust To Help You, and then click one of the following

2

methods:

3 4

55 6

Figure 5-25: Before you can use Remote Assistance, you must make sure that your firewall will let it through.

• Save This Invitation As A File that you can transfer as an attachment to an email message using any email program or Web-based email such as Google’s gmail, or via a CD or USB flash drive. Office Outlook or another compatible email package.

NOTE Remote Desktop, which is discussed in Chapter 10, is the same Remote tab of the System Properties dialog box. Remote Desktop lets you sit at home and log on and use your computer at work as though you were sitting in

3. If you choose Use Email To Send An Invitation, your email program will open and display a message to your helper and contain the invitation as an attachment, as shown in Figure 5-26. Address the email and click Send. Skip to step 6.

4. If you choose Save This Invitation As A File, select the drive and folder where you want to store the invitation—it may be across a network on your helper’s computer. Click Save.

5. Attach the saved file to an email message or store it on a CD or flash drive, and send

9

front of it.

• Use Easy Connect if the other computer is using Windows 7. 8

different from Remote Assistance, even though it is on

7

• Use Email To Send An Invitation if you are using Windows Live Mail or Microsoft

or deliver it to your helper.

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10


1 2 3 4

55 6

Figure 5-26: You need to send an invitation that asks a person for assistance and gives him or her the means to communicate in an encrypted manner.

6. If you choose Easy Connect, in either of the other two cases, a Windows Remote

8

7

Assistance window will open, providing you with the password you must also communicate to your helper, say via phone. This window will wait for your helper to answer.

10

9

7. When your helper answers, you will be asked if you want to allow the person to see your computer. Click Yes if you do. Your computer screen will appear on your helper’s computer.

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1

NOTE in five ways: Without an invitation, the person giving assistance cannot access your computer; you can limit both the time the invitation remains open and the time the person can be on your computer; you can determine

who can see everything on your computer (see “Provide Remote Assistance,” next). Click Send.

9. If the other person requests control of your computer, you’ll see a message asking if that is what you want to do. If you do, select the check box, and then click Yes. If you become uncomfortable, you can click Stop Sharing or press ALT+T at any time.

3

whether the person can control your computer or just

8. Click Chat, click in the text box at the bottom, and type a message to the other person,

2

You are protected from misuse of Remote Assistance

look at it; you can click Stop Sharing or press ALT+T at any time to immediately terminate the other person’s control; and you can click Close to instantly disconnect the other person.

4

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10. To end the session, send a message to that effect, and close the Remote Assistance window.

PROVIDE REMOTE ASSISTANCE

6

If you want to provide remote assistance:

1. Upon receiving an invitation as a file, drag it to the desktop and double-click it. 2. If you are using Easy Connect, click Start, click All Programs, click Maintenance,

7

and click Windows Remote Assistance. Click Help Someone Who Has Invited You. It may take a couple of minutes to connect.

3. Enter the password you have been given, click OK, and, if the other person approves, you are shown his or her screen and can request control of the other person’s computer. You can view the screen in its actual size or scale it to fit your screen, as shown in Figure 5-27.

8

4. To request control of the other computer, click Request Control. Click Stop Sharing to give up control.

5. Click Close to end the session and close the Remote Assistance window.

9

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1 2 3 4

55 6 7 8 10

9

Figure 5-27: The remote screen is shown on the assistance provider’s screen.

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1

How to… Create a Picture

2

•

Acquiring a Document Install Cameras and Scanners

•

Scan Pictures

•

Import Camera Images

•

Work with Photo Gallery Pictures

•

Capture Snips Using Sticky Notes

Working with Documents and Pictures

Install a Printer Printing Print Pictures

•

Print to a File

•

Configure a Printer

•

Control Printing Handling Fonts

In this chapter you will discover many aspects of creating documents and pictures, installing and using digital cameras and scanners, and installing and using printers and their fonts with documents and pictures.

7

Create Documents and Pictures

66

•

5

•

Chapter 6

4

Viewing Other Pictures

3

•

8

Creating documents and pictures is primarily done with programs outside of Windows 7, although Windows has simple programs to do this. Windows 7 also has facilities to bring documents and pictures in from other computers, from the Internet, and from scanners and cameras.

Create a Picture

Working with Documents and Pictures

133

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9

Pictures are really just documents that contain an image. They can be created or brought into your computer in the same way as any other document (see the

1 2

NOTE

“Acquiring a Document” QuickSteps). For example, to create and save a picture in Microsoft Paint:

As in other chapters, in the steps here you may be interrupted and asked by User Account Control (UAC) for

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and click Paint. 2. Create a picture using the tools in Paint. For example, click the Pencil tool, choose a

permission to continue. So long as it is something you started, click Continue or enter a password. To simplify

3

the instructions in this chapter, the UAC instructions have

color, and create the drawing.

been left out. Chapter 8 discusses UAC in more detail.

3. Save the document by clicking the Paint menu (next to the Home tab). Then click Save As, select the disk drive and folder in which to store the document, enter a filename, select a Save As Type, and click Save. Close Paint.

4

UICKSTEPS

Install Cameras and Scanners

ACQUIRING A DOCUMENT

5

The documents in your computer got there because they

Installing cameras and scanners depends a lot on the device—whether it is Plug and Play (you plug it in and it starts to function), what type of connection it has,

were created with a program on your computer, or they were brought to the computer on a disk, transferred over a local area network (LAN), or downloaded from the Internet.

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CREATE A DOCUMENT WITH A PROGRAM To create a document with a program:

1. Start the program. For example, start Microsoft Word by clicking Start, clicking All Programs, clicking Microsoft Office, and clicking Microsoft

7

Office Word.

2. Create the document using the facilities in the program. In Word, for example, type the document

8

and format it using Word’s formatting tools.

3. Save the document by (in Word), clicking the Office Button. Then click Save As, if needed, click Browse Folders, and select the disk drive and folder in which to store the document. Enter a

9

filename, and click Save, as shown in Figure 6-1.

4. Close the program used to create the file. Continued . . .

10

Figure 6-1: Most document-creation programs let you choose where you want to save the files you create. 134 134

Windows 7 QuickSteps Working with Documents and Pictures PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC

1

UICKSTEPS 2

ACQUIRING A DOCUMENT

(Continued)

BRING IN A DOCUMENT FROM A DISK Use Windows Explorer to bring in a document from a disk or other removable storage device.

3

1. Click Start and click Computer. 2. Double-click the drive from which you want to retrieve a document (this could be another hard drive, floppy disk, CD, DVD, flash drive, or other

4

device), and double-click to open any necessary folders to locate the document file and display it in the subject (middle) pane (assuming your Windows Explorer window displays a three-pane view: navigation, subject, and preview).

5

3. In the navigation pane, display (but do not select or open) the drive and folder(s) in which you want to store the file by clicking their respective triangles on the left.

Figure 6-2: You can drag a document file from either a disk on your computer or from another computer on your network.

66

4. Drag the document file to the displayed folder, as illustrated in Figure 6-2. When you are done, close Windows Explorer. DOWNLOAD A DOCUMENT ACROSS A NETWORK another computer on your network (the folder on the other computer will need to be shared; see Chapter 8 for more information on sharing files and folders).

the left column.

2. Double-click the other computer from which you want the document, and double-click to open any necessary drives, folders, and subfolders to locate Continued . . .

2. Click Start and click Devices And Printers. If you see your device, installation is complete, as shown in Figure 6-3 (DigiMax V4 is my camera, which Windows thinks is a disk), and you can skip the remainder of these steps.

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Windows 7 QuickSteps Working with Documents andYour Pictures PC QuickSteps Getting to Know PC

9

the document file.

plug it in, you will see a message that a device driver is being installed and then that it is ready to use. Finally an AutoPlay dialog box may appear and allow you to choose what you want to do. If this happens for you and you plugged in a scanner, skip to “Scan Pictures” later in this chapter. If you plugged in a camera, skip to “Import Camera Images,” also later in this chapter. Otherwise, continue to step 2.

8

1. Click Start, click Computer, and click Network in

1. Plug the device into the computer, and turn it on. If it is Plug and Play, the first time you

7

Use Windows Explorer to bring in a document from

and so on. Most recent cameras and scanners are Plug and Play devices. To use them:

1 2

UICKSTEPS ACQUIRING A DOCUMENT

(Continued)

3. In the navigation pane, display (but do not select or open) the drive and folder(s) in which you want to store the file by clicking their respective

3

triangles on the left.

4. Drag the document file to the displayed folder. When you are done, close Windows Explorer.

4

DOWNLOAD A DOCUMENT FROM THE INTERNET Use Internet Explorer to bring in a document from a site on the Internet.

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar. 2. Type an address, search, or browse to a site and

5

page from which you can download the document file.

3. Use the links and tools on the Web site to select

66

and begin the file download. For example, rightclick a picture and click Save Picture As.

4. In the Save Picture dialog box, select the disk and open the folder(s) in which you want to store the file on your computer.

7

5. Type or edit the filename and press ENTER to complete the download. When you are done, close your browser.

8

Figure 6-3: Most recent Plug and Play cameras and scanners are automatically detected and installed.

3. Click Add A Device. The Add A Device Wizard Starts. Click the device you want to

10

9

install and click Next. Scroll through the manufacturer and model lists, and see if your device is there. If so, select it and click Next. Confirm the name you want to use, click Next, and then click Finish to complete the installation.

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1

4. If you don’t see your device on the lists and you have a disk that came with it, place

3

Scan Pictures

TIP superior to the software that comes with your scanner.

Scanners allow you to take printed images and convert them to digital images on your computer. The scanner must first be installed, as described in “Install Cameras and Scanners” earlier in this chapter. If you ended up using the manufacturer’s software to install the scanner, you might need to use it to scan images too. If you used Windows to install the scanner, use the following steps to scan an image.

3.

Click New Scan on the toolbar. The New Scan dialog box appears. The scanner you installed should be displayed in the upper-left area. Change the scanner if you wish.

4.

Choose the color, file type, and resolution you want to use, and click Preview. The image in the scanner will appear in the dialog box.

5.

Adjust the margins around the page by dragging the dashed lines on the four sides, as shown in Figure 6-4. When you are ready, click Scan.

6.

The scanned image will appear in the Windows Fax And Scan window (see Figure 6-5). Select the image in the list at the top of the window and, using the toolbar, choose to:

8

Click Start, click All Programs, and click Windows Fax And Scan. The Windows Fax And Scan window opens.

7

2.

66

Turn on your scanner, and place what you want to scan onto the scanning surface.

5

1.

4

The scanning software in Windows may or may not be

2

the disk in the drive, and click Have Disk. If a driver appears, complete the installation and close the Add A Device Wizard. If you cannot find the driver, close the Add A Device Wizard and the Devices And Printers window, and use the manufacturer’s installation program on the disk.

• Forward As Fax using the Windows fax capability 9

described later in this chapter

• Forward As E-mail using your default email application


137 137

10

Figure 6-4: In the Windows 7 scanning software you can change a several of the parameters including the margins of what to include, and see the results in the preview pane.

1 2

• Save As using Windows Explorer to save the image as a file on one of the storages devices available to you

• Print using a printer available to you • Delete the image 3

7.

4

Import Camera Images

5

When most digital cameras are plugged into the computer, turned on, and installed (see “Install Cameras and Scanners” earlier in this chapter), the AutoPlay dialog box should automatically appear, calling the camera a removable disk and asking if you want to:

66

•

7

Figure 6-5: Images that you scan can be faxed, emailed, saved, and printed.

8

Documents that you scan into your computer are

View Pictures in your camera using Windows Photo Viewer

•

Import Pictures And Videos in your camera using Windows Live Photo Gallery

•

View Pictures in your camera using Windows Live Photo Gallery

•

Open Folder To View Files to look at your camera as if it were a disk and the pictures as files using Windows Explorer

automatically saved in My Documents\Scanned Documents.

Import Pictures And Videos, in essence, copying them to your hard disk

•

TIP

1. Click Import Pictures And Videos

9 10

Work through the related dialog box(es) that appear to complete the scanning process. When you are ready, close the Windows Fax And Scan window.

Using Windows Live Photo Gallery. The Import Photos And Videos dialog box should appear.

138 138


1

2. Choose if you want to review and organize your photos first or import them all

2

immediately.

3. If you choose to review and organize, click Next. A window opens that allows you to

3

select the photos you want imported. You can group photos by date, add names to groups, and add tags to groups that will form the basis of photo names (the date is already a part of the name). When you are ready, click Import.

4. If you choose to import all items at once, select that option, enter a name, if desired click

NOTE If the AutoPlay dialog box didn’t appear, click Start, click

5. In either case, you will see each of the pictures as they are imported. When the process is completed, the Windows Live Photo Gallery will open and show thumbnails of the pictures, as you can see in Figure 6-6.

5

Computer, click Removable Disk (if you have more than one of them, it would be the most recently accessed one), and open the necessary pictures in your camera.

Work with Photo Gallery Pictures Once you have brought pictures into your computer from a camera, a scanner, an Internet download, or a removable disk, you can look at them on your computer screen. Assuming that you brought your pictures into Photo Gallery as discussed in “Import Camera Images” or “Scan Pictures” earlier in this chapter:

66

folders to see images of your

4

Add Tags and type a tag to add to the filename of all the pictures, and click Import. The first time you do this, you will see a message box asking if you want to use Windows Live Photo Gallery to open picture file types instead of the default Windows viewer. Click Yes.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click

7 8

Windows Live, and click Windows Live Photo Gallery (you may be asked to sign in to Windows Live, but you don’t have to do that—click Cancel). The Windows Live Photo Gallery should open.

2. Select the tag you assigned or date

9

your pictures were taken to open the category that contains them, as was shown in Figure 6-6.

3. Hover your mouse over a picture to see an enlarged image.

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10


1 2 3 4 5

66 7 8

Figure 6-6: The Windows Live Photo Gallery gives you a quick way to organize and work with your pictures.

4. To see an even larger image, double-click its thumbnail. The image will expand to fit

10

9

the Photo Gallery window, similar to what is shown in Figure 6-7. The controls at the bottom of the window allow you to cycle through a number of pictures and work with them.

140 140


1 2 3 4 5

Previous picture

Delete picture

66

Play slide show Actual size/Fit to window

Next picture

Rotate counter clockwise

Rotate clockwise

8

Figure 6-7: The Photo Gallery single-image window offers a great way to view individually each picture in a set on your computer.

7

Change display size

5. If you have several pictures you want to view, click the right and left arrows on the

9

bottom of the window to go through them sequentially. You can also use the other controls at the bottom of the window or in the menus at the top to perform their stated functions.

6. When you are done, click Back To Gallery to view the photo thumbnails or close the Windows Live Photo Gallery.

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1 2

TIP

Capture Snips

If you have two computers, such as

and click Setup Gallery Sync. On

Windows 7 includes the Snipping Tool to capture images of the screen, called “screen shots” or “snips.” This can capture four areas of the screen:

the second computer, given that both

•

Full screen captures the entire screen

•

Window captures a complete window

•

Rectangular area captures a rectangle you draw around objects

•

Free-form area captures any area you draw around objects

a laptop and a desktop, both running Windows 7, Windows Live Photo Gallery can synchronize your photos and videos

3

on both computers using Windows Live Sync. On one computer open Windows Live Photo Gallery, click the File menu,

4

computers have activated Windows Live with the same ID and password, simply open Windows Live Photo Gallery. With Windows Live Sync activated, you or

5

someone with your Windows Live ID and password can sign on and view your Photo Gallery by clicking Start, clicking All Programs, clicking Windows Live,

66

and clicking Windows Live Sync.

UICKSTEPS

7

VIEWING OTHER PICTURES If your pictures are not in the Photo Gallery, to locate and

1. Display the windows or other objects on the screen whose images you want to capture

view them:

1. Click Start, click Computer, and open the drive

8

and folders necessary to locate your pictures.

2. Click the Change Your View menu down arrow, , and click Extra Large Icons; or adjust the slider so that you can adequately see the thumbnail images.

9

3. Double-click the picture you want to view in a larger size. The Windows Photo Viewer will open and display the picture. From here, you can work

10

with the picture.

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Once you have captured an area it is temporarily stored on the Clipboard and displayed in the mark-up window where you can write and draw on the snip to annotate it, and, when you are ready, save the snip where you want it. To do all of that:


(see the Note on capturing a menu).

2. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and click Snipping Tool. The screen will be dimmed, the Snipping Tool dialog box will appear, along with a crosshair to use to outline the area to be captured—by default you will see a rectangle (see Figure 6-8).

3. If you want to capture a rectangular area, drag the cross-hair from one corner of the rectangle to its opposite. To capture a different type of area, click the New down arrow, and click one of the other three types of areas. Then, with:

• Free-Form Snip, drag the cross-hair around the area to be captured • Window Snip, click on the window to be captured • Full Screen Snip, the screen is automatically captured

1 2 3 4 5

Figure 6-8: The Snipping Tool allows you to capture an image of an area of the screen for future reference or use.

66

TIP To capture a snip of a menu, open the Snipping Tool,

Figure 6-9: The Snipping Tool mark-up window allows you to annotate, email, and save a snip.

7

press ESC, display the menu to be captured, press CTRL+PRINT SCREEN, click New, select the type of area

to be captured (Free-Form, Rectangle, and so forth), and delineate that area as you would otherwise.

4. In all cases, the mark-up window opens showing you the area that was captured, as you can see in Figure 6-9, and allowing you to use the pen, highlighter, and eraser to annotate the snip.

8

5. From the mark-up window you can also directly email the snip to someone by clicking Send Snip, which opens an email message with the snip in it; save the snip by clicking Save Snip, select a folder, enter a name, select a file type, and click Save.

9

Print Documents and Pictures It is important to be able to install and fully use printers so that you can transfer your digital documents to paper.

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1 2

UICKSTEPS

Install a Printer

USING STICKY NOTES

All printers are either automatically installed or done so using the Devices And Printers window. Because there are differences in how the installation is done, look at the sections in this chapter on installing local Plug and Play printers, installing other local printers, installing network printers, and selecting a default printer. Also, if you are installing a local printer, first consider the following checklist.

Sticky Notes are exactly what the name implies: little notes to yourself that you can place anywhere on

3

your screen. You can type messages on these notes; change their color; cut, copy, and paste the text on them with the Clipboard to and

4

from other programs; create

PRINTER INSTALLATION CHECKLIST

A local printer is one that is attached to your computer with a cable or wireless connection. Make sure that your printer meets the following conditions before you begin the install:

additional notes; and delete the note. Here’s how:

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and click Sticky Notes. If you don’t already have

• • • • •

5

a note on your desktop, one will appear.

2. If you already have one or more notes on the desktop, the most recent one will be selected. If you want a new note, click New Note (the plus

66

sign in the upper-left corner).

3. On the new note, type the message you want it to source, right-click the note and click Paste.

7

4. Right-click the note, and click the color you want it the note to be, and then drag the note to where you want it.

5. When you no longer want the note on the desktop, click Delete Note (the X in the upper-right), and

8

click Yes.

9 10

It is plugged into an electrical outlet. It has fresh ink, toner, or ribbon, which, along with the print heads, is properly installed. It has adequate paper. It is turned on.

INSTALL A LOCAL PLUG AND PLAY PRINTER

contain, or, having copied some text from another

144 144

It is plugged into the correct port on your computer (see manufacturer’s instructions).


Installing Plug and Play printers is supposed to be fairly automatic, and, for the most part, it is.

1. With your computer and printer turned off, connect the devices to each other. Then make sure the other points in the previous checklist are satisfied.

2. Turn on your computer, let it fully boot, and then turn on your printer. Your computer should find and automatically install the new printer and briefly give you messages to that effect.

1

NOTE

3. Click Start and click Devices And Printers. The Devices And Printers window will

connected through an infrared beam or other wireless connection. In this case, “plugging the printer into the computer” means to establish that wireless connection.

open, and you should see your new printer. Hover the mouse pointer over that printer and you should see “Status: Ready,” as shown in Figure 6-10. (If you don’t see your printer, it was not installed. Go to the next section.)

2

Some laptop computer-and-printer combinations are

4. Right-click the new printer, click Printer Properties, and click Print Test Page.

3

If the test page prints satisfactorily, click Close. Otherwise, click Get Help With Printing, follow the suggestions, and close the Help and printer windows when you are done. When you are ready, click OK to close the printer’s Properties dialog box.

5. If you want the new printer to be the default printer used by all applications on

4

the computer, right-click the printer and click Set As Default Printer.

6. Close the Devices And Printers window. INSTALL LOCAL PRINTER MANUALLY

5

If a printer isn’t automatically installed in the process of using steps 1 through 3 in the previous section, you must install it manually.

1. If a CD came with your printer, providing it says that it is for Windows 7, place

66

that CD in the drive, and follow the on-screen instructions to install the printer. When this is complete, go to step 3 in “Install a Local Plug and Play Printer,” and determine if the printer will print a test page. If so, skip to step 7.

2. If you don’t have a manufacturer’s CD, click Start and click Devices And Printers. The Devices And Printers window should open.

7

3. Click Add A Printer on the toolbar, and click Add A Local Printer. 4. Click Use An Existing Port:, open the drop-down list, and select the correct port (on newer printers, it is probably USB001; on the majority of other printers, it is LPT1), and click Next.

8 9

Figure 6-10: When you connect a Plug and Play printer, it should be recognized by the computer and automatically installed.

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1 2

TIP If your printer was automatically installed, but a CD came with your printer and you wonder if you should install using the CD, the general answer is no. Most printer drivers in Windows 7 originally came from the

3

manufacturers and have been tested by Microsoft, so they should work well. Unless the printer came out after the release of Windows 7 (fall 2009), the driver in Windows 7 should be newer, and in the installation dialog

4

boxes you can choose to update the drivers.

5. Select the manufacturer and model of the printer you want to install (see Figure 6-11). If you can’t find your printer, click Windows Update to download the latest printer drivers. Then, once more, search for the manufacturer and model. When you find the correct printer. Click Next.

6. Confirm or change the printer name and click Next. Determine if you want to share this printer; if so, enter its share name, location, and comments. Click Next.

7. Choose whether you want this printer to be your default printer. Click Print A Test Page. If the test page prints satisfactorily, click Close. Otherwise, click Get Help With Printing, follow the suggestions, and close the Help and Printer windows when you are done. When you are ready, click Finish to close the Add Printer dialog box and close the Devices And Printers window.

INSTALL A NETWORK PRINTER

5

Network printers are not directly connected to your computer, but are available to you as a result of your computer’s connection to a network and the fact that the printers have been shared. There are three types of network printers:

66

• • •

Printers connected to someone else’s computer, which are shared Printers connected to a dedicated printer server, which are shared Printers directly connected to a network (which, in effect, have a built-in computer)

7

The first two types of network printers are installed with the Network Printer option in the Add Printer dialog box and will be described here. The third option is installed with the Local Printer option, often automatically.

8

1. Figure 6-11: Manually installing a printer requires that you know some facts about the printer.

Click Start and click Devices And Printers. The Devices And Printers window will open.

2. Click Add A Printer on the toolbar, and click Add A Network, Wireless Or Bluetooth Printer. Windows will search for network printers (as shown in Figure 6-12).

9

3. Scroll through the printers to locate the one you want. Click that printer and click Next. Skip to step 5.

4. If the search did not find the network printer you were looking for, click The Printer

10

That I Want Isn’t Listed. Click Browse For A Printer, and click Next. Double-click the computer to which the printer is attached, double-click the printer, and click OK. 146 146


1

5.

2 3

Adjust the name of the printer if you want and click Next. Click Set As The Default Printer, if you want to do that. Click Print A Test Page. If the test page prints satisfactorily, click Close. Otherwise, click Get Help With Printing, follow the suggestions, and close the Help window when you are done. When you are ready, click Finish to close the Add Printer dialog box and close the Devices And Printers window.

IDENTIFY A DEFAULT PRINTER

Click Start and click Devices And Printers. The Devices And Printers window will open.

2.

Right-click the printer you want to be the default, and click Set As The Default Printer.

3.

Close the Devices And Printers window when finished.

5

Figure 6-12: A printers on another computer must be shared by that computer before you can use it.

1.

that: (1) have been published to Active Directory— normally in larger organizations; (2) are attached to computers on the network; (3) use a Bluetooth wireless system and a Bluetooth transceiver is connected to the to the network (not through another computer) and have their own IP address (probably automatically assigned).

1. In the Devices And Printers window, right-click the printer you want to share, and click Printer Properties. The printer’s Properties dialog box will appear.

8

computer doing the search; and (4) are directly connected

If you have a printer attached to your computer and you want to let others use it printer, you can share the printer.

7

The search for network printers will find those printers

66

SHARE A PRINTER

NOTE

4

If you have several printers available to you, one must be identified as your default printer—the one that will be used for printing whenever you don’t select another one. To change your default printer:

2. Click the Sharing tab, click Share This Printer, enter a share name, and click OK.

9

3. Close the printers Properties dialogue box.

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1 2

UICKSTEPS PRINTING Most printing is done from a program. Using Microsoft Office Word 2007, whose Print dialog box is shown in

3

Figure 6-13, as an example: PRINT DOCUMENTS To print the document currently open in Word: Click Quick Print on Word’s Quick Access toolbar

4

to immediately print using the default settings.

5

CHOOSE A PRINTER To choose which printer you want to use: Click the Office Button, and click Print to open Figure 6-13: The Microsoft Office Word 2007 Print dialog box is similar to those in other programs.

Word’s Print dialog box shown in Figure 6-13.

66

Open the printer Name drop-down list, and choose the printer you want. DETERMINE SPECIFIC PAGES TO PRINT

Print Pictures

In the Page Range section of the Print dialog box, you

7

can select:

• All to print all pages • Current Page to print only the currently selected

8

page

• Selection to print the text that has been selected • Pages to print a series of individual pages and/or a range of pages by specifying the individual pages separated by commas and specifying the range with a hyphen. For example: typing 4,6,8-

10

9

10,12 will cause pages 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12 to be printed.

148 148


Printing pictures from a program is exactly the same as described in the “Printing” QuickSteps. In addition, Windows has a Print Pictures dialog box used to print pictures from either Windows Explorer or the Photo Gallery.

1. Click Start and click Pictures to use Windows Explorer; or click Start, click All Programs, click Windows Live, and click Windows Live Photo Gallery to use that program.

2. In either program, select the picture(s) you want to print. To select one, click it. To select a contiguous set of pictures, click the first one, hold down SHIFT, and click the last picture. To select noncontiguous pictures, hold down CTRL while clicking the pictures you want.

3. Click Print on the toolbar. To print on a local or network printer, click Print again; alternately you can order prints online. Using the selected printer, the Print Pictures dialog box will appear, as shown in Figure 6-14.

1

5.

When you are ready, click Print. The pictures will be printed. When you are done, close Windows Explorer or Windows Live Photo Gallery, whichever you have open.

3

Select the printer, paper size, quality, paper type, number to print on a page, number of copies, and whether to fit the picture to a frame. You can also click Options above the Cancel button to look at and possibly change several print settings. Click OK after looking at (and possibly selecting) the options.

7

CREATE A TEXT FILE PRINTER

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and, in Category view, click View Devices And

Customize down arrow to the right of the Quick Access

Printers under Hardware And Sound; in Large Icons view, click Devices And Printers. The Devices And Printers window will open.

8

If Quick Print isn’t on your Quick Access toolbar, click the toolbar and click Quick Print.

66

There are two primary reasons to print to a file: to have a file you can take to a remote printer, and to get information out of one program and into another. The first requires formatting the information for a printer and then sending it to a file. The actual printer must be installed on your computer even though it is not physically connected to your computer. In the second case, you must create a “printer” to produce unformatted generic text. The following sections explain first how to create a text file printer and then how to print to a file.

5

TIP

4

Print to a File

Figure 6-14: If you use high-quality photo paper and a newer color printer, you can get almost professional-grade pictures.

2

4.

2. Click Add A Printer on the toolbar, and click Add A Local Printer. Click the Use An Existing Port down arrow, and click File (Print To File).

You can print just the even or odd pages in a document by opening the Print drop-down list in the bottom-left corner of the Print dialog box and making the relevant selection.

3. Click Next. In the Install The Printer Driver dialog box, scroll down and click Generic as the manufacturer and Generic/Text Only as the printer.

9

NOTE

4. Click Next. Enter a name for the printer and click Next. Determine if you want to share this printer and, if so, enter a share name. Click Next.

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1 2

5. Click Set As The Default Printer, (if you want to do that), skip printing a test page, and click Finish. A new icon will appear in your Devices And Printers window. Close the Devices And Printers window when you are done.

SELECT PRINT TO FILE

NOTE taskbar, browse to the page you want to print, and click

1. In the program in which you are printing, click the File menu (or the program Button in

3

other document. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the

Whether you want to print to a file so that you can print on a remote printer or so that you can create a text file, the steps are same once you have created a text file printer.

4

Printing web pages is little different from printing any

the Print icon

. The page will print with default

Microsoft Office 2007 and other programs, where program is the name of the program you are using), and click Print.

options. Close your Internet browser.

2. Select the ultimate printer or the generic text file printer, and click Print To File. Select

5

the print range, number of copies, and other settings; and click OK. Select the folder, type the file name to use, and click OK.

Configure a Printer

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Configuring a printer is usually done for special purposes and often isn’t required. Nevertheless, all configuring is done from the printer’s Properties dialog box.

7

1. Click Start and click Devices And Printers. The Devices And Printers window will open. 2. Right-click the printer you want to configure, and click Printer Properties. The printer’s Properties dialog box will appear (you cannot change most settings for networked printers).

9

8

In the General tab (shown in Figure 6-15), you can change the printer name, its location, and enter a comment. In the Ports tab, you can specify the port used by the printer, configure ports, and set up printer pooling. In the Device Settings tab, you can set what is loaded in each paper tray, how to handle font substitution, and what printer options are available (your printer may be different). Though most printer configurations are self-explanatory, several items are worthy of further discussion and are explained in the following sections.

10

Figure 6-15: Printers, while having many settings, are often run without ever changing the default settings.

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1

ENABLE PRINTER POOLING

Printer pooling allows you to have two or more physical printing devices with the same print driver assigned to one printer. When print jobs are sent to the printer, Windows determines which of the physical devices is available and routes the job to that device.

2

1. In the Properties dialog box for the printer to which all work will be directed, click the

3

Ports tab, and click Enable Printer Pooling.

2. Click each of the ports with a printing device that is to be in the pool. When all the ports are selected, click OK to close the Properties dialog box.

4

3. If the printer that contains the pool isn’t already selected as the default printer, rightclick the printer and click Set As Default Printer.

SET PRINTER PRIORITY

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Assigning several printers to one printing device allows you to have two or more settings used with one device. If you want to have two or more priorities automatically assigned to jobs going to a printer, create two or more printers that all point to the same printer port but that have different priorities. Then have high-priority print jobs printed to a printer with a priority of 99 and lowpriority jobs printed to a printer with a priority of 1.

1. Install all printers as previously described in “Install a Printer,” all with the same port. Name each printer to indicate its priority, such as “High-Priority Printer” and “LowPriority Printer.”

7

2. In the Devices And Printers window, right-click the high-priority printer, and click Printer Properties.

TIP tasks, such as incoming orders, you might want to assign it a lower priority than a word-processing task, such as a new proposal.

Advanced tab, and set the priority, from 1 for the lowest priority to 98 for the second highest priority.

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9

Jobs with the highest priority will print before jobs with a lower priority if they are in the queue (waiting to be printed) at the same time.

8

If you have a program that automatically prints certain

3. Click the Advanced tab, type a priority of 99, and click OK. 4. Similarly, right-click the other printers, open their Properties dialog boxes, click the

1 2

ASSIGN PAPER TRAYS

3

Some printers have more than one paper tray, and each tray can have different types or sizes of paper. If you assign types and sizes of paper to trays in the printer’s Properties dialog box and a user requests a specific type and size of paper when printing, Windows 7 automatically designates the correct paper tray for the print job.

1. In the Printer Properties dialog box for the printer whose trays you want to assign, click the Device Settings tab.

4

2. Click the type of paper in a tray, open the drop-down list, and select the type and size of paper in that tray, similar to what you see in Figure 6-16.

3. When you have set the paper type and size in each tray, click OK. CONFIGURE SPOOL SETTINGS

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5

The time it takes to print a document is normally longer than the time it takes to transfer the information to the printer. Printer spooling temporarily stores information on disk, allowing Windows to feed it to the printer as it can be handled. Under most circumstances, you want to use printer spooling and not tie up the program waiting for the printer. The printer’s Properties Advanced tab lets you choose to spool or not and gives you two options if you spool.

7

Figure 6-16: You can set the paper type and size in each paper tray.

8

NOTE The Print Spooled Documents First check box, located below the spool options, is selected by default. Normally,

•

Start Printing After Last Page Is Spooled waits to print until the last page is spooled, allowing the program to finish faster and the user to get back to the program faster, but it takes longer to finish printing.

•

Start Printing Immediately allows printing to be done sooner, but the program will be tied up a little longer.

The default, Start Printing Immediately, provides a middle ground between getting the printing done and getting back to the program.

you want to keep it that way.

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9

USE SEPARATOR PAGES

If you have several jobs on a printer, it might be helpful to have a separator page between them. A separator page can also be used to switch a printer between

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1

The separation files work with HP and PostScript or compatible printers. They will not work with all printers.

PostScript language (or both), you can open and modify the separator pages files (or copies of them) with any text editor, such as Notepad, to suit your particular purpose.

•

Pscript.sep does not print a separation page, but printers with both PostScript and PCL will be switched to PostScript.

•

Sysprint.sep prints a separation page before the start of each print job on PostScriptcompatible printers.

•

Sysprtj.sep is the same as Sysprint.sep, but in the Japanese language.

4

If you know or have a guide to either the PCL or

Pcl.sep prints a separation page before the start of each print job on PCL-compatible printers. If the printer handles both PostScript and PCL, it will be switched to PCL.

5

You can choose to have a separator page added at the beginning of each print job by clicking Separator Page on the Advanced tab of the Printer Properties dialog box, browsing for and selecting the page you want, clicking Open, and clicking OK twice.

66 7

Control Printing

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9

To control printing means to control the process as it is taking place, whether with one print job or with several in line. If several print jobs are spooled at close to the same time, they form a print queue, waiting for earlier jobs to finish. You may control printing in several ways, as described next. These tasks are handled in the printer’s window, which is similar to that shown in Figure 6-17, and is opened by clicking See What’s Printing in the Devices And Printers window or by double-clicking the printer icon in the notification area of the taskbar and then clicking See What’s Printing.

8

Figure 6-17: Controlling printing takes place in the printer’s window and allows you to pause, resume, restart, and cancel printing.

3

TIP

•

2

NOTE

PostScript (a printer language) and PCL (Printer Control Language) on HewlettPackard (HP) and compatible printers. Four sample SEP separation files come with Windows 7 and are installed in the \Windows\System32\ folder:

1 2

PAUSE, RESUME, AND RESTART PRINTING

While printing, a situation may occur (such as needing to add toner) where you want to pause and then resume printing, either for one or all documents. Pause all documents: In the printer’s window, click the Printer menu and click Pause Printing. “Paused” will appear in the title bar, and, if you look in the Printer menu, you will see a check mark in front of Pause Printing.

•

Resume printing all documents: In the printer’s window, click Printer and click Pause Printing. “Paused” disappears from the title bar and the check mark disappears from the Pause Printing option in the Printer menu.

•

Pause a document: In the printer’s window, select the document or documents to pause, click Document, and click Pause. “Paused” will appear in the Status column of the document(s) you selected.

•

Resume printing a paused document where it left off: In the printer’s window, select the document, click Document, and click Resume. “Printing” will appear in the Status column of the document selected.

•

Restart printing at the beginning of a document: In the printer’s window, select the document, click Document, and click Restart. “Restarting” and then “Printing” will appear in the Status column.

3

•

4

NOTE You cannot change the order in which documents are being printed by pausing the current document that is

5

printing. You must either complete printing the current document or cancel it. You can, however, use Pause to get around intermediate documents that are not currently printing. For example, suppose you want to

66

immediately print the third document in the queue, but the first document is currently printing. You must either let the first document finish printing or cancel it. You can then pause the second document before it starts printing, and the third document will begin printing when the first

7

document is out of the way.

CANCEL PRINTING

8

Canceling printing can be done either at the printer level for all the jobs in the printer queue or at the document level for selected documents. A canceled job is deleted from the print queue and must be restarted by the original program.

10

9

•

154 154


Cancel a job: In the printer’s window, select the job or jobs that you want canceled. Click Document and click Cancel. Click Cancel a second time to confirm the cancellation. The job or jobs will disappear from the window and the queue.

1

Cancel all the jobs in the queue: In the printer’s window, click Printer and click Cancel All Documents. You are asked whether you are sure you want to cancel all documents. Click Yes. All jobs will disappear from the queue and the printer window.

2

•

REDIRECT DOCUMENTS

Ports tab.

4

1. In the printer’s window, click Printer, click Properties, and click the

3

If you have two printers with the same print driver, you can redirect all the print jobs that are in the queue for one printer to the other, where they will be printed without having to be resubmitted. You do this by changing the port to which the queue is directed.

2. If the second printer is in the list of ports, select it. Otherwise, click Add Port to open the Printer Ports dialog box. Click Local Port and click New Port, which opens the Port Name dialog box.

5

3. Enter the UNC (Uniform Naming Convention) name for the printer (for example, \\Server3\HPLJ9050 for an HP printer to the Server3 computer), and click OK.

4. Click Close and then click OK. The print queue will be redirected to

66

the other printer.

CHANGE A DOCUMENT’S PROPERTIES

•

8

Figure 6-18: Setting the properties of a document in the print queue can change its priority and when it prints.

Priority: To change a document’s default priority of 1, the lowest priority, so that the document can be printed before another that hasn’t started printing yet, set the document’s priority in the document’s Properties dialog box to anything higher than the other document by dragging the Priority slider to the right.

7

A document in a print queue has a Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 6-18, which is opened by right-clicking the document and selecting Properties. The General tab allows you to change a number of things:

9

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1 2

UICKSTEPS

•

Who to notify: To change who is optionally notified of any special situations occurring during printing, as well as when a document has finished printing, put the name of another person (the individual’s user name on a shared computer or network) in the Notify text box of the document’s Properties dialog box.

•

Set print time: To change when a job is printed, open a document’s Properties dialog box, click Only From at the bottom under Schedule, and then enter the time range within which you want the job printed. This allows you to print large jobs, which might otherwise clog the print queue, at a time when there is little or no load.

HANDLING FONTS A font is a set of characters with the same design, size, weight, and style. A font is a member of a typeface

3

family, all with the same design. The font 12-point Arial bold italic is a member of the Arial typeface with a 12-point size, bold weight, and italic style. Windows 7 comes with a large number of fonts, a few of which are shown in Figure 6-19.

4

ADD FONTS To add fonts to those that are installed by Windows 7:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance And Personalization in Category

5

view, and click Fonts. The Fonts window opens as shown in Figure 6-19.

2. Either use Windows Explorer to locate a font (or fonts) on your computer (this can be a flash drive, a CD/DVD, or a hard disk) or on your network, or

66

use Internet Explorer to download a font to your computer and then, with Windows Explorer, locate it so you can see and then select the actual font(s) you want to install, as shown in Figure 6-20.

7

3. Right-click the selected fonts and then click Install. A message will tell you the fonts are being installed. When you are done the new fonts will appear in the Fonts window.

8

DELETE FONTS Remove fonts simply by selecting them in the Fonts window and pressing DELETE or by right-clicking the font(s) and clicking Delete. In either case, you are told

9

you are deleting a font collection and asked whether you are sure you want to do that. Click Yes if you are. The fonts will be deleted permanently and cannot be retrieved from the Recycle Bin.

10

Continued . . .

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Figure 6-19: Windows 7 comes with a large number of fonts, but you can add others.

1

UICKSTEPS 2

HANDLING FONTS

(Continued)

USE FONTS Fonts are used or specified from within a

3

program. In Microsoft Word, for example, you can select a line of text and then open the Font drop-down list on the

4

Formatting toolbar (in versions prior to Office 2007) or in the Font group (in Office 2007).

5

Every program is a little different. One nice feature in recent versions of Word is that the list shows what the fonts look like.

66 Figure 6-20: Fonts can be added from many sources, including another computer on the network.

7

TIP 8

To select several fonts, hold down SHIFT and click the first and last font (to select several contiguous fonts), or hold down CTRL and click each font (to select several noncontiguous fonts).

9

157 157

10



1

How to… Control the Volume

•

Access Online Media

•

Buy Media Online

•

Copy (Rip) CDs to Your Computer

•

Organize Music

•

Make (Burn) a Music CD

Chapter 7

Working with Multimedia

4

•

3

Play CDs

2

•

Displaying Visualizations in Windows Media Player Copy to (Sync with) Music Players

•

Play DVDs Preparing to Make a Movie

•

Make a Movie

•

Complete a Movie Exploring Windows Media Center

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Import Video from a Camcorder

6

•

8

Multimedia is the combination of audio and video, with the term media referring to either audio or video. As an operating system, Windows 7 has to be able to handle audio and video files and accept their input from a number of different devices. It has four major programs—Windows Media Player, Windows DVD Maker, Windows Media Center, and Windows Live Movie Maker—that enable you to work with these files and read and write them onto CDs, DVDs, flash drives, and music players, as well as stream them to other computers (streaming sends audio or video files to another computer in such a way that the other computer can display the files as they are being sent). We’ll look first at sound by itself, then at video with sound.

5

•

9

Working with Multimedia

159

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1 2

Work with Audio

3

Audio is sound. Windows 7 works with and uses sound in several ways, the simplest being to alert you of various events, like an incoming email message or closing down the system. Chapter 2 shows you how to customize the use of sounds for these purposes.

4

The other use of sound is to entertain or inform you—be it listening to music or lectures from CDs, Internet radio, or another Internet site. It is this use of sound that is the subject of this section.

Play CDs

8

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6

5

Playing a CD is as easy as inserting a disc in the drive. When you do that, by default, Windows Media Player opens and starts playing the CD. The other alternative is that you will be asked if you want Windows Media Player to play the disc. In that case, if you click Play Audio CD Using Windows Media Player, Media Player will open and begin playing the disc. Initially, the on-screen view, called “Now Playing,” is a small window, as shown in Figure 7-1. If you click Switch To Library in the upper-right corner under the Close button , a larger, more comprehensive window will open, as you can see in Figure 7-2. The Media Player library window has a variety of controls that enable you to determine how it functions and looks. These controls are located either in the functional controls and option menus at the top of the window or in the playback controls at the bottom.

10

9

Figure 7-1: Windows Media Player Now Playing view shows you its controls when you move the mouse over it.

160 160

Windows 7 QuickSteps Working with Multimedia PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC

•

Menu options includes facilities to:

• Organize the Media Player window • Stream media from your computer • Create a playlist of selected tracks

1

Menu options

Functional controls

• • • •

Rip CD copies audio CDs to the Media Library.

•

Sync synchronizes content between portable music devices and your PC.

•

Media Guide opens the Windows Media Guide, an online media source for music, movies, TV, and radio.

Rip settings for audio being copied from a CD. Play plays selected tracks and creates a playlist.

3

Burn copies playlists from the library to writable CDs and DVDs.

Turn shuffle on/off

Stop

Play/pause

5

Playback controls provides CD player–like controls to play/pause, stop, go to a previous track, go to the next track, and adjust volume.

4

•

Functional controls allow selection of the primary Media Player functions:

2

•

Mute

6

Turn repeat on/off

Figure 7-2: Windows Media Player Library view gives you access to a wide range of audio and video entertainment.

Volume

When you click any of the three tabs for the functional controls in the upperright area, the list pane opens. The Play tab initially lists what is currently being played, but can be cleared and used to build your own playlist. The parts of the Media Player in Play mode are shown in Figure 7-3, and include:

• • • • • • •

8

Playback controls

Next track

77

Media Guide

Previous track

List options hides (closes) the list pane and manipulates the list. Play to starts an audio or video stream to a media device. Clear list stops what is being played and prepares the pane for creating a playlist.

9

Save list saves the current playlist to your media library. Shop for CD/DVD enables you to buy the item you are listening to or watching. Previous and Next let you cycle through the playlists in your library.

Windows 7 QuickSteps Getting Working Multimedia PC QuickSteps to with Know Your PC

161 161

10

Switch to Now Playing collapses the window to just the small window shown in Figure 7-1.

1 2

Navigation pane

Detail pane

Shop for CD/DVD

List pane

Play to

List options

Control the Volume

4

3

You can control your computer’s audio volume from several places, including the physical volume control on your speakers or on your laptop computer, the volume control on the bottom-right of the playback controls of the Media Player, and the volume icon in the notification area on the right of the taskbar.

6

5

Clicking the Volume icon in the notification area opens a small Volume slider that you can drag for louder or softer sound, or you can click Mute (the blue speaker at the bottom of the slider) to do just that. Click anywhere on the desktop to close the Volume slider.

77

Figure 7-3: The list pane shows what is currently playing and is where playlists are created.

Switch to Now Playing

Access Online Media

8

If you have a broadband Internet connection (as described in Chapter 4) of at least 512Kbps (more will improve your experience) and sound capability, you can find a large amount of media, including music, movies, and TV. Windows Media Player gives you access to this media through the Media Guide, whose icon is in the lower-left corner of the Media Player and opens into the window shown in Figure 7-4.

9 10

Previous/ next playlist

162 162


1

Click in the Search text box; type the name of the piece, the performer, or the genre; and either press ENTER or click the Search magnifying glass. The search results list will appear.

4. Select your choice within the results list, or if you don’t find what you want, try a

Doing direct searches from your Internet browser may

5. Close the Media Player when you are ready.

Buy Media Online There are many sources of media on the Internet. The Online Stores in the Media Player provides links to many of these sites—links that you can follow to

163 163

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9

help you find what you want.

8

different search. From the results, you often are able to listen to or view a segment and find out where you can buy the entire piece.

TIP

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3.

6

Click the Media Guide icon in the lower-left corner of the Media Player. It may be that the Media Guide icon has been replaced by the Online Stores because that is what icon was last used. In that case, click the Online Stores down arrow, and click Media Guide.

5

2.

4

Click the Windows Media Player on the taskbar (it is icon pinned there by default). If you don’t have a Media Player icon on the taskbar, click Start, click All Programs, and click Windows Media Player.

3

Figure 7-4: The Media Guide facilitates locating music, movies, and TV media.

1.

2

To use the Media Guide to locate media from a closed Media Player.

1 2

featured sites and categories of sites. You can also search for a site—the site of a particular artist, for example.

1. Click the Windows Media Player icon on the taskbar. If you don’t have a Media Player icon on the taskbar, click Start, click All Programs, and click Windows Media Player.

3

2. Click the Online Stores icon if it is displayed; otherwise, click the Media Guide down arrow, and click Browse All Online Stores. The Online Stores home page will open.

3. Follow any links that look promising; or type in the Search text box (the cursor should

4

NOTE Where it makes sense, consider that when I say “CD” I mean “CD or DVD.”

be there by default) the name of an artist, song, or movie about whom or which you would like to locate sites. Click Search. The search results will appear.

4. Click the link that interests you, and buy what you want. Then follow the instructions to download it to your computer and into your music or video library.

5. Close the Media Player when you are ready.

5

Copy (Rip) CDs to Your Computer

8

77

6

Media Player gives you the ability to copy (or “rip”) CD tracks that you like to your hard disk so that you can build and manage a library of your favorite music and copy this material to a recordable CD or DVD. To copy from a CD (see Figure 7-5):

9

1. Insert the CD from which

10

Figure 7-5: Media Player can be used to build a music library from your CDs.

164 164


you want to copy tracks. If it doesn’t automatically start playing, click Play Audio CD Using Windows Media Player to open Windows Media Player.

1

NOTE hard disk is time-consuming, even on a relatively fast computer. It also produces large files. To see the copying progress, look at the Rip Status column of the Media Player window, as well as the message in the bottom-

check boxes to the left of each track. Click Play in the playback controls to listen to the tracks and to make sure your choices are correct.

3. If you wish, click Rip Settings and review the settings that are available to you. For the most part, the default settings provide the best middle ground between high quality and file size.

3

right corner (see Figure 7-5).

2. In the details pane, select the tracks you want to copy to your hard disk by clicking the

2

Copying a music track from a CD to a digital file on your

4. When you are satisfied that you have selected the correct tracks and settings, click Rip CD. The selected tracks will be copied to your hard disk. When you are done, remove the CD and close Media Player.

The material on most CDs and DVDs is owned and copyrighted by some combination of the composer, the artist, the producer, and/or the publisher. Copyright law prohibits using the copyrighted material in ways that are the content without giving or selling the original CD or DVD itself. To enforce this, most CDs and DVDs are protected to make copying difficult. Media Player provides and then to a recordable CD or a USB Flash drive with the understanding that the copy is solely for your own

Once you have copied several CDs and have downloaded other music to your hard disk, you will likely want them organized. When music and videos are copied to the library, the contents are automatically indexed alphabetically by album, artist, and genre. You may want to combine selected tracks into a playlist that allows you to play pieces from several albums. To build a new playlist:

1. Open Media Player and click Create Playlist in the menu options area. Enter the name you want for the new playlist, and press ENTER. A new playlist will appear in the list of playlists in the navigation pane.

6

the ability to copy copyrighted material to your hard disk

Organize Music

5

not beneficial to the owners, including giving or selling

4

NOTE

2. Open an album, artist, or genre, and select a piece or the pieces (by holding down CTRL as you click multiple pieces) that you want in the new playlist. Drag the piece(s)

This is both a great gift and a responsibility. As one who

to the playlist title in the navigation pane.

77

personal use and you will not sell or give away copies. makes his living on copyrighted material, I urge you not to abuse it.

8 9

3. Select additional pieces you want to add, and drag them to the playlist title in the navigation pane. Click the playlist to display the contents of the playlist in the details pane, or double-click the playlist to display it in the Play tab in the list pane and begin to play it.

165 165

10


1

–Or–

2

TIP

1. Open Media Player and click the Play tab to open it in the list pane. Select and display in the details pane the music you want in the playlist. Drag the piece(s) you want to the list pane, as you can see in Figure 7-6.

When listening to a playlist, you can randomize the order in which the pieces will play by clicking Turn Shuffle On

3

in the playback controls, which is the first button on the left. Click it a second time to return to normal play.

2.

When you have added all the pieces that you initially want (you can always add more later), click Save List, type a name, and press ENTER.

3. Listen to the playlist by clicking the play button in the playback controls. When you are

9

8

77

6

5

4

done, click Clear List, click the Play tab to close the list pane, and close Media Player.

10

Figure 7-6: Media Player provides a way to manage the media you store on your computer, including building playlists.

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1

Once you have created a playlist (see “Organize Music” earlier in this chapter), you can write (or “burn”) it to a writable or rewritable CD or DVD using Media Player’s Burn feature.

3

1. Put a blank recordable disc in the CD or DVD recording drive. The AutoPlay dialog box

2

Make (Burn) a Music CD

will appear and ask what you want to do. Click Burn An Audio CD to open Windows Media Player with the Burn functional area displayed.

2. Open your playlists in the navigation pane, and drag a playlist (or individual songs from

4

an open playlist) that you want on the CD or DVD to the Burn List on the right. You can see how much of the CD is being used and the amount of time remaining just above the Burn List, as shown in Figure 7-7.

5 6

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Figure 7-7: Burning a playlist to a writable CD or DVD allows you to create a disc that has just your favorite songs. 167 167

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1 2

UICKSTEPS DISPLAYING VISUALIZATIONS IN WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER The Media Player’s Now Playing window, shown in

3

Figure 7-1, can, as an alternative to the cover art, display a graphic visualization of the music that is playing. Several visualizations come with Media Player, and you can download more. To display a visualization:

1. Right-click the Now Playing window, click

4

Visualizations, select one of the three types of visualizations (Album Art and Info Center View are static displays), and then click the visualization you want to use, as shown in Figure 7-8.

2. If you want to download additional visualizations,

3. You can make corrections to the Burn List by dragging additional songs there until you use up the remaining time, or by right-clicking a song on the Burn List and clicking Remove From List in the context menu that opens. You can also clear the Burn List and start over.

4. When you are sure you have the list of pieces you want to burn, click Start Burn. The digital files will first be converted to analog music files and then written to a CD or DVD. You can see the progress in the thermometer bar near the top of the list pane (it is not very fast!). When the burn is complete and if no one has changed the default settings, the disc will be ejected from the drive. Write the title on the disc with a soft felt-tip marker, or use a LightScribe drive to burn a label on the special discs you use for this purpose.

The resulting CD should be playable in most CD players.

5

right-click the Now Playing window, click Visualizations, and click Download Visualizations. Then follow the instructions on the Web sites you

9

8

77

6

will visit.

10

Figure 7-8: You can have the Now Playing window display a visualization of music that is being played. 168 168


1

Windows Media Player allows you to plug in a digital music device, such as an MP3 player, and transfer music to and from (sync with) the device.

2

Copy to (Sync with) Music Players

1. Start Windows Media Player, and click Sync in the Windows Media Player functional

3

controls. You will be told to connect your device.

2. Start your device and then plug it into your computer. The first time you do that, Windows will install a driver for it, and then the AutoPlay dialog box will appear.

4

You can manually select playlists and songs that you want copied to the device, as shown in Figure 7-9.

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169 169

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Figure 7-9: A digital music device can mirror your Media Player library if it has enough room and that is what you want.

1 2

NOTE If you choose to sync your entire library, consider the Shuffle Music option. With this option selected, Windows will put the music on the device such that songs will randomly play. Each time you plug your device into your

3

computer, a new random order will be established and copied to the device.

3. In the Devices Setup dialog box, click Finish or Cancel, depending on your situation. If you click Cancel, drag the playlists and/or songs you want on the device to the Sync List on the right. If you wish, you can play the Sync List by double-clicking the first playlist or song.

4. When you are certain that you have all the music in the Sync List that you want on your device, click Start Sync. The music will be copied to the device.

Work with Video 4

NOTE You can determine if your system supports making movies by running a diagnostic that is included in

5

Windows 7. Click Start, type dxdiag in the Search text box, and then, under Programs, click dxdiag. Click No on

Windows 7 lets you watch videos from a DVD, from live or recorded TV, or downloaded from the Internet using Windows Media Player or Windows Media Center. It also allows you to capture videos and still images from a digital camcorder or digital camera using Windows Live Photo Gallery and then edit those into your own movie using Windows Live Movie Maker.

checking for digital signing. The DirectX Diagnostic Tool dialog box will appear. In the System tab, you can see your CPU speed, the amount of memory you have, and amount of display memory you have.

77

6

your DirectX version. On the Display tab, you can see the

8

TIP If you are using Movie Maker to record an analog signal coming from a video capture card and are having problems—which is common—don’t fight it. Use the software that comes with the video capture card to create

10

9

a file on your hard disk, and then import that file into Movie Maker.

170 170


Play DVDs Playing DVDs is as easy as playing CDs: Simply insert a DVD into its drive. When you do that, the AutoPlay dialog box will appear, and you will be asked if you want to play the DVD using Windows Live Media Player. We’ll discuss Media Center later in this chapter, but if you click Play DVD Movie using Windows Media Player, the player will open and play the disc. The Media Player controls are virtually the same for DVDs as they are for CDs, except the View Full Screen option enlarges the movie or video you are watching to fit the full screen, and the DVD menu has options for viewing menus and special features on the DVD.

1

UICKSTEPS Making a movie with a computer takes more hardware

Importing video directly from your camcorder to your hard disk is done using the Windows Live Photo Gallery.

2

Import Video from a Camcorder

PREPARING TO MAKE A MOVIE than any other task. The faster your CPU, the more memory it has, the better your video display adapter, and

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Windows Live, and click Windows Live Photo

The beauty is that most recent computers have what you

3

Gallery. Click the File menu, and click Import From A Camera Or Scanner.

the larger your disk, the more smoothly the task will go.

2. Plug your camcorder into an OHCI-compliant FireWire port on your computer, and turn

need by default.

it on. Windows 7 will detect it, install the necessary driver software, and display it in the list of devices.

REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST

4

The recommended hardware requirements for making movies are as follows: RECOMMENDED HARDWARE

CPU

2.4 GHz dual core

RAM memory

2GB

Hard drive free space

60GB

Optical drive

DVD±R

Video display card

Supports DirectX 9.0c, WDDM driver, Windows Aero, Pixel Shader 2.0, 32 bits/pixel, 128MB dedicated video memory or more

Video recording from DV camcorders

IEEE 1394 FireWire card, OHCI-compliant

Video capture from analog VCR/camera/TV

Windows 7–compatible video capture card

Audio capture from microphone, tape

Windows 7–compatible audio card and microphone

5

COMPONENT

2.4 MHz dual core is really the minimum.

If you chose to import the entire video and your camcorder uses tape, it will be rewound, and then the capture will begin playing and importing the video without controls to pause, rewind, or fast-forward it. When the end of the video is reached,

171 171

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9

Continued . . .

Select your digital video camera, and click Import. The Import Video dialog box will appear. Type the name you want for the video, click either Import The Entire Video or Choose Parts Of The Video, and click Next (you can also burn the entire video to a DVD, but here we want to make a movie from the video).

8

To work with full-motion video, you need a lot of it.

3.

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• Memory is most important. The more, the better. • CPU capability is a close second in importance.

6

NOTES ON REQUIREMENTS

1 2

UICKSTEPS PREPARING TO MAKE A MOVIE

the importation will stop, the Import Video dialog box will close, and you will see a message telling you it is finished. Click OK.

(Continued)

• The initial capture of video from a camcorder to your computer can use approximately 12GB per

3

hour captured in disk space.

• The video display card has become quite important to Windows Live Movie Maker. It will not work without the minimum shown in the table. See

4

the Note on how to check this.

• With a digital video (DV) camcorder and an IEEE 1394 FireWire interface, get an Open Host Controller Interface (OHCI)–compliant FireWire

5

card for your computer, if one isn’t built in.

• A video capture card can bring in a video signal from a TV, a VCR, an analog camcorder, and (in most cases) a DV camcorder; however, the result is not as good as a digital recording.

6

–Or–

8

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If you chose to import portions of the video, the camcorder will not be rewound and you can use its controls to position the video. Also, you are given controls in the Import Video dialog box. Position the video in your camcorder to a little before where you want to start recording using either its controls or those in the Import Video dialog box, and press the Stop icon. Then, in the dialog box, click the Play icon. When you are at the spot you want to start importing, click Import. You can import some, stop it, reposition the video, and again click Play and Import. When you are done with the importation, click Finish to close the Import Video dialog box.

10

9

Windows Live Photo Gallery will show you where your video is stored. From either Photo Gallery or Windows Media Player, you can play the captured video by locating and double-clicking it. 172 172


1

NOTE from professionally recorded CDs, DVDs, and tapes. If you are making a movie solely for your own use and are not going to put it on the Internet, sell it, or otherwise distribute it, then there are no issues. If you are going contains someone else’s copyrighted material (either audio or video), you need to get permission from the copyright holder.

clips that you can then blend together into a movie.

To begin making a movie using the imported camcorder video and other material:

5

It is better to import a longer video in smaller chunks or

4

TIP

Making a movie out of the imported camcorder video and other material involves selecting and editing the available material; assembling it into the order in which you want it; adding narration, titles, and special effects; and finally publishing the finished product. Windows Live Movie Maker provides the means to do that. While working in Movie Maker, you are working on what Movie Maker calls a “project,” which is a fluid collection of video clips, still pictures, titles, audio clips, narration, and special effects that you have added and laid out along a timeline. So long as you are in the project and have not published the movie, you can change almost anything. Projects can be saved and reopened for as long as you like.

3

to use your movie in any of the prohibited ways and it

Make a Movie

2

There can be some copyright issues when using music

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Windows Live, and click Windows Live Movie Maker. Movie Maker opens with a new project tentatively named “My Movie.” Start the project by adding content.

6

2. Click Add in the Home tab Videos And Photos group. In the Add Videos And Photos dialog box that appears, locate and select the video footage you want to work with, and click Open.

3. Repeat step 2, as shown in Figure 7-10, adding video footage, still pictures, and

Trim video clips Add transitions between pictures Adjust the duration for which a still image is shown

9

• • • • •

8

You can continue to add, remove (right-click and click Remove), and rearrange elements in your project throughout its creation. You can also:

77

music (clicking Add in the Soundtrack group) that you want to use. Most audio, video, and picture file types are supported. When you have all the material you want, drag it around the content (right) pane until it is in the order that you want.

Add titles to the video Adjust the mix between the sound on a video and the added music

173 173

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1 2

NOTE In Chapter 4, when I suggested you install Windows Live, Movie Maker was not selected by default so you may not

3

have installed it at that time. Therefore, it may not be in your Windows Live list and you will need to go back to the Windows Live site and install it. See Chapter 4 for

5

4

more information.

6

Figure 7-10: The process of making a movie entails selecting and editing video, audio, and still images.

TRIM VIDEO CLIPS

77

TIP While you are still working with a project and have not published the movie, you can think of trimming as simply

8

“hiding” the ends of the clips. You can recover what you have trimmed until you publish the movie. Do this by selecting Trim and dragging the trim handles out to

10

9

include more material.

174 174


You can remove unwanted frames by trimming, or deleting, frames from the beginning or end of a video clip.

1. Select the video clip you want to trim. 2. Click the Edit tab, and click Trim in the Video group. Trim handles will appear at either end of the progress slider.

3. If you want to trim the beginning of the clip, play the clip to the point at which you want to trim, and then drag the trim handle to that point, dragging it back and forth until it is correctly placed.

1

4. To trim the right end of the clip, drag the right trim handle to the left until you get to the

2

point where you want to trim off the rest of the clip.

5. When the trim handles are positioned at both ends where you want them, click Save And Close in the Trim tab to save the trim positions and close the Trim operation.

ADD TRANSITIONS

3 4

When you bring in or drag a clip or a still image to the workspace, it simply abuts the preceding clip. The last frame of the preceding clip plays or a still image is displayed, and then the first frame of the new clip plays or the next still image is displayed. Movie Maker provides several transitions that you can add to smooth out the progression from one element to the next.

1. Click the rightmost clip or image of a pair where you want a transition. 2. Click the Visual Effects tab, and click the

5

transition you want to use. The focus will shift back to the left member of the pair so you can click the Play icon to see the transition.

ADJUST DURATION OF STILL IMAGES

you want to use.

77

1. Select the still image whose duration you want to change. 2. Click the Edit tab, click the Duration down arrow, and click the duration (in seconds)

6

By default, still images that are used in a movie are displayed for three seconds. You can adjust this to anything from 1 to 30 seconds.

ADD TITLES

8

Windows Live Movie Maker provides the means to add titles and text to movies you create. This text will overlay the video and still images you have.

1. Select the video or still image where you want

9

the text, click the Edit tab, and click Text Box. A text box with eight sizing handles will appear on the selected image.

2. Select the font, its size, whether it is bold and/ or italic, and its color. Then type the text you want in the title.

175 175

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1

3. When you have entered all the text you want, use the sizing handles to size the box to

2

position the text. Use SHIFT+ENTER to create a line break.

4. Point on an edge of the text box to get a four-headed arrow, and then drag the text box to where you want it in the image.

5. Drag over all the text to select it, and then use:

3

• CTRL+L to left-align it • CTRL+R to right-align it • CTRL+E to center it

4

6. When you are ready, click on another image to close the text box and leave the text. 7. At any time you can return to the image with the text and click Text Box to edit the text. MIX SOUND

8

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6

5

After adding a sound clip you have two sound tracks—one that was on the original video and one that you have added. By default, the volume level of both tracks is the same. You can adjust the relative level between the two soundtracks in the Home tab by clicking Mix. The Mix slider will appear. Dragging the slider to the left increases the relative level of the video soundtrack, dragging it to the right increases the relative level of the audio you have added. In both cases, the change is for the entire project. The slider closes when you complete a change, or you can close it when you are done by clicking anywhere below the slider.

Complete a Movie

10

9

The final step in making a movie is to create a movie file that you can upload to the Internet or output, either for a DVD or a portable device.

176 176


1

OUTPUT TO A DVD

2

If you want to save your movie to replay on your computer or put it on a DVD:

1. In the Home tab, click Output and click how you want to replay this movie, as shown in Figure 7-11. want to save your movie, enter a name for it, and click Save.

3

2. In the Output Movie dialog box that appears, select the drive and folder in which you 3. With the DVD choice, Movie Maker will save the project, which may take a considerable amount of time if your video is of any length, and you will be told when it is complete.

4. Click View Folder to open the folder in Windows Explorer that contains your new

4

video. Leave this window open; you will be using it again in a minute.

5 6

77 8 9

Figure 7-11: Saving a movie for replay on either your computer or a DVD player is the most versatile option. 177 177

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1 2

SAVE A MOVIE TO DVD

With your new movie file, you can burn it onto a DVD.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, and click Windows DVD Maker. If this is the first time you have used Windows DVD Maker, click Choose Photos And Videos.

3

2. Position the Windows DVD Maker window and the Windows Explorer window with your video so you can see them both.

3. Drag your video from Windows Explorer to DVD Maker. Type a name for the DVD title,

5

4

and click Next.

TIP 6

Saving a movie is equivalent to printing a document: You still have the original content to rebuild the movie, but the movie itself can’t be edited.

77

4. If you wish to see your video, click Preview, use the player controls, and when you are done, click OK. Review the text, customization, and style alternatives to add a menu to your DVD to select among multiple videos.

5. When you are ready, click Burn. Put a blank DVD in your drive, and the process will

8

NOTE Opening a project opens the media in Movie Maker, where it can be edited. Opening a movie sets it up for

10

9

playback in Media Player or other video display programs and devices.

178 178


begin. It will take a bit of time, depending on how long your movie is and the speed of your computer and DVD drive.

6. When the DVD is created, it will be ejected from the drive, and you’ll be asked if you want to make another. Remove and label the disc using a soft felt-tip marker.

7. If you want to make another copy, click that option and insert another blank disc; otherwise, click Close and click Close again to close Windows DVD Maker. Click Yes to save your DVD project, enter a Name, and click Save.

1

QUICKFACTS

PUBLISH TO THE INTERNET

2

EXPLORING WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER

If you want to publish your movie on the Internet:

With the right equipment, Windows Media Center allows you to view, record, and play back live TV. It also provides DVDs, CDs, and the music and photographic libraries you have on your computer. It connects you to Web services from Microsoft and other vendors. Windows Media Center is available in Windows 7 Home Premium,

service you want to use. You may need to download a plug-in.

2. Depending the service you select, you may have to register and enter an ID and

3

an enhanced playback and viewing experience with

1. In the Home tab Make Movie group, click Publish and click to choose the Internet

password.

3. Follow the instructions from the service, entering such things as a title, description, and other information. Movie Maker will then make the movie (a slow process), and it will be uploaded to the Internet. You will get a message when the process is complete.

4

Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. To effectively use and get the full benefit from Windows Media, you need all the recommended computer components discussed in the “Preparing to Make a Movie”

5

QuickSteps, as well as a TV tuner card in your computer and a connection to TV media. The tuner cards are available for approximately $100 from several companies. Look for compatibility with Windows Media Center. To use Media Center:

6

1. Click Start, click All Programs, and click Windows Media Center. The first time you do that, you will go through an initial setup.

2. Click Continue and then click Express. Windows

77

will look at the hardware that is available on your computer. If you have a TV tuner card, you will then need to click Live TV Set Up, and Media Center will be configured for the type of TV signal you have (antenna, cable, or satellite).

8

3. Then you will be asked questions about your ZIP code so that you can receive an online TV guide tailored to your local area. When you are done with the setup, you will see the main Media Center

9

window shown in Figure 7-12. Continued . . .

Figure 7-12: The Windows Media Center brings live as well as recorded TV to your computer.

179 179

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1 2

QUICKFACTS EXPLORING WINDOWS MEDIA CENTER (Continued) At this point, you can use your mouse, the keyboard, or

3

the TV remote control that came with your TV tuner card to navigate (move your mouse to see its controls) and watch TV, either in a window on your screen, as shown in Figure 7-13, or in the default full screen. If you don’t have a tuner card, you can play recorded TV. The possibilities

6

5

4

of what you can do are significant.

10

9

8

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Figure 7-13: You can watch TV in a window or have it take up the full screen.

180 180


1

How to… Set Up Users

2

•

Understanding User Account Control Setting Passwords

3

•

Reset a Password

•

Replace Passwords Customizing a User Account

•

Set Parental Controls

•

Control What Parts of Windows Can Be Used

•

Set File and Folder Sharing Testing an Internet Firewall Use and Add Groups

•

Protect Files and Folders Understanding Permissions Use Encrypted Files and Folders Locking a Computer

Control Who Is a User Controlling who uses a computer means identifying the users to the computer, giving them a secure way of signing on to the computer, and preventing everyone else from using it. This is achieved through the process of adding and managing users and passwords.

181

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Controlling Security

9


88

With Windows 7, like previous versions of Windows, the first user of a computer is, by default, an administrator; however, the Windows 7 administrator operates like a standard user until there is a need to be an administrator. Then a Windows 7 feature called User Account Control (UAC) pops up and asks if the administrator started the process. If so, click Continue to proceed. A non-administrative user in the same circumstance would have to enter an administrator’s password to continue.

7

•

Controlling computer security is a complex subject because of the many different aspects of computing that need protection. In this chapter you’ll see how to control who uses a computer, control what users do, and protect data stored in the computer.

6

•

Controlling Security

5

Switch Among Users

4

•

Chapter 8

1 2

NOTE This book talks about setting up local user accounts, which are those that are set up on and use a local computer, as well as a workgroup local area network (LAN). If your computer is part of a domain (generally

3

found in larger organizations—see Chapter 9 for a discussion of domains), it is important to use domain user accounts that are set up on a domain controller

Even though you may initially be an administrator, it is strongly recommended that your normal everyday account be as a standard user. The reason for this is that if you are signed on as an administrator and a hacker or malevolent software (called “malware”) enters your system at the same time, the hacker or software might gain administrator privileges through you. The best solution is to use a separate administrator account with a strong password just for installing software, working with users, and performing other tasks that require extensive administrator work.

rather than local user accounts, since local user accounts

4

are not recognized by the domain.

5

QUICKFACTS UNDERSTANDING USER ACCOUNT CONTROL Windows 7 has a feature called User Account Control, or UAC. UAC monitors what is happening on the computer, and if it sees something that could cause a problem, like

6

installing a program, adding a new user, or changing a password, it interrupts that process and asks for physical user verification. When it does this, it also freezes all activity on the computer so that nothing can happen until

7

verification is provided—either using the mouse or the keyboard. If the user has administrator privileges, this person is asked if he or she started the process and, if so, to click Continue. If the

Set Up Users To add users to your computer, or even to change your user characteristics (as well as to perform most other tasks in this chapter), you must be logged on as an administrator, so you first need to accomplish that. Then you may want to change the characteristics of your account and add a Standard User account for yourself. Finally, if you have multiple people using your computer, you may want to set up separate user accounts and have each user sign in to his or her account. LOG ON AS AN ADMINISTRATOR

The procedure for logging on as an administrator depends on what was done when Windows 7 was installed on your computer:

•

If you are in an organization with people responsible for supporting the computers in the organization, you will most likely need to contact them to determine the procedure for logging on as an administrator.

•

If you installed Windows 7 on your computer, or you bought a computer with it already installed and did nothing special to the default installation regarding administrator privileges, you should be the administrator and know the administrator’s password (if you established one—it may be blank).

•

If you did not do the installation or you got the computer with Windows 7 already installed and you are unsure about your administrator status or password, the instructions here will help you log on as an administrator. The first step is to determine the administrator status on your computer.

user doesn’t have administrator

88

privileges, he or she is asked for the administrator’s password. By requiring a physical action, UAC ensures that an actual person is sitting at the computer and

9

that malware is not attempting to modify it.

10

Continued . . .

182 182

Windows 7 QuickSteps Controlling Security PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC

1

QUICKFACTS If you have both Administrator and Standard User accounts, then, while you are using the Standard User password when needed—you don’t need to switch users. In addition, if a program requires you to be an administrator in order to run it, you can right-click the program and click Run As Administrator. If you are you are not logged on as an administrator, you will have to enter a password and click Yes. All operations that require administrative shield icon beside them, as shown here:

2. Click Change Your Account Type:

• If you are not an administrator but there is one on your computer, the User Account Control dialog box will appear and ask you to type the administrator’s password. If you can, do that and skip to “Change Your Account” later in the chapter.

• If you are an administrator, the dialog box will ask if you started this action. If so, click Continue and skip to “Change Your Account” later in the chapter.

• If you are not an administrator and you don’t know an administrator’s password, try

5

privileges have a little

If your User Accounts window opens and shows you are a standard user, as does Figure 8-1, you need to proceed with these steps. If the window shows you are an administrator, you can skip these steps. To make changes to an account, see “Change Your Account” later in this chapter.

4

logged on as an administrator, that’s all you have to do. If

Family Safety, and then click User Accounts. The User Accounts window opens, as shown in Figure 8-1.

3

account, you can simply enter the administrator’s

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click User Accounts And

2

UNDERSTANDING USER ACCOUNT CONTROL (Continued)

leaving the Password field blank and clicking Yes, which would be the password if someone didn’t fill one in. If that doesn’t work, you will need outside support to log on as an administrator.

For a while, especially

6

if you are installing several programs, the UAC dialog boxes can be irritating. You can turn this off in the User Accounts control panel, but this is strongly discouraged. If you do turn it off while you are installing several programs, it is strongly recommended that you turn on

7

again when you are finished.

88

TIP If your personal account on your computer is currently set up as an Administrator account, it is strongly recommended that you create a new Standard User account and use that for your everyday computer

9

use. Only use the Administrator account for installing software, changing and adding user information, and performing other tasks requiring an administrator.

Figure 8-1: Setting up users provides a way of protecting each user from the others and the computer from unauthorized use.

183 183

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Windows 7 QuickSteps Security PC QuickSteps GettingControlling to Know Your PC

1 2

CHANGE YOUR ACCOUNT

You can change an account name, the display picture, add or change a password, and possibly change the account type.


3

Family Safety, and then click User Accounts.

2. Click Change Your Account Name. If you are not already logged on as an administrator, the User Account Control dialog box will appear and ask you to type an administrator’s password.

3. Type a new name, and click Change Name.

5

4

In a similar manner, you can change your display picture. If you are the only administrator, you will not be allowed to change your account type or delete your account. Changing and setting passwords are discussed in the “Setting Passwords” QuickSteps in this chapter. SET UP ANOTHER USER

To set up another user account, possibly a Standard User account for your use:

6

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click User Accounts And Family Safety, and then click User Accounts. The User Accounts window opens.

2. Click Manage Another Account, and, if needed, type a password

7

and click Yes to open the Manage Accounts window, as shown in Figure 8-2.

3. Click Create A New Account. Type a name of up to 20 characters.

88

Note that it cannot contain just periods, spaces, or the @ symbol; it cannot contain “ / \ [ ] : ; | = ,+ * ? < >; and leading spaces or periods are dropped.

4. Accept the default account type, Standard User, or click

9

Administrator as the account type. You can see a summary of the privileges available to each user type.

10

Figure 8-2: User Accounts provides password and user account management. 184 184


1

CAUTION

5. Click Create Account. You are returned to the Manage Accounts window. Changing

2

With a password reset disk, anyone can reset a

other aspects of the account is described in later sections of this chapter.

password. Therefore, it is important to store the reset disk in a safe place.

Reset a Password

SETTING PASSWORDS Passwords are the primary keys used to allow some there are recent alternatives to passwords (see “Replace Passwords” in this chapter), most computer protection depends on them.

CREATE A RESET DISK

1. Insert a USB flash drive in its socket, or insert a writable CD or a formatted and unused floppy disk into its respective drive. Close the AutoPlay window if it opens.

4

people to use a computer and to keep others away. While

3

Windows 7 allows you to reset a password you have forgotten if you have previously created a password reset disk, which can be a USB flash drive, CD, or floppy disk.

UICKSTEPS

2. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click User Accounts And Family Safety, and then click User Accounts. The User Accounts window opens.

CREATE A PASSWORD

5

After setting up a new user account, you can add a password to it that will then be required to use that account.

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click User Accounts And Family Safety,

6

and then click User Accounts. The User Accounts window opens.

2. If it is not your account that you want to add a password to, click Manage Another Account. If

7

needed, type a password, click Yes, and click the account you want. In your account or in the other account that opens, click Create A Password. The Create Password window will open, as shown

88

in Figure 8-3. Note the warning message. This is true only if the user already has a password that has been used to encrypt files, create certificates, and access Web sites and network resources. If you create a new password for this person, it will

9

replace the old one, and all the places where the old one has been used will no longer be available. Continued . . .

Figure 8-3: Creating, changing, or deleting a password will lose all items that are based on passwords, such as encrypted files, certificates, and other passwords.

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1 2

UICKSTEPS SETTING PASSWORDS

3. Click Create A Password Reset Disk in the list of tasks on the left. If needed, type a (Continued)

This is the case every time you create, change, or

3. Type the new password, click in the second text

3

box, type the new password again to confirm it, click in the third text box, type a non-obvious hint to help you remember the password, and click

4

Create Password.

4. Close the Change An Account window. CHANGE A PASSWORD It is a good idea to change your password periodically in

5

case it has been compromised.

view, click User Accounts And Family Safety, and then click User Accounts. The User Accounts window opens.

6

2. If it is not your account that you want to change, click Manage Another Account. If needed, type a password, click Yes, and click the account you want to change. In your account or in the other account that opens, click Change Your/The Password.

7

5. Type the current user account password, and again click Next. The disk will be created. When this process is done, click Next. Then click Finish. Remove and label the disk, and store it in a safe place.

CAUTION If you or someone else changes your password, all passwords and encrypted files tied to the original password are permanently inaccessible with the new password. If you use a password reset disk to reset your password, you will retain access to all your original information.

6. Close the User

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category

3. In your account, type the current password and click in the second text box. In either your or another’s account, type a new password, click in the next text box, and type the new password

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4. The Forgotten Password Wizard starts. Click Next. Click the drive down arrow, and select the drive on which you want to create the password key. Click Next.

delete a password.

again to confirm it. Click in the final text box, type a non-obvious hint to help you remember the password, and click Change Password.

4. Close the Change An Account window. Continued . . .

9

password and click Yes.

Accounts window.

USE A RESET DISK

If you have forgotten your password and there isn’t another person with administrator permissions on your computer who can reset it, you can use a reset disk you have previously created.

1. Start your computer. When you see the Welcome screen, click your user name. If you have forgotten your password, click the right arrow. You will be told that the user name or password is incorrect.

2. Click OK to return to the password entry, and look at your hint. 3. If the hint isn’t of any help, click Reset Password. The Password Reset Wizard starts. 4. Click Next. Insert your reset disk in its socket or drive. Click the drive down arrow, select the drive the reset disk is in, and again click Next. Type a new password, confirm it, type a password hint, click Next, and click Finish. (You do not have to create a new reset disk with your new password; Windows updates the reset disk for you.) Remove the reset disk.

5. Enter your new password, and press ENTER.

NOTE

A CD, a floppy disk, or a USB flash drive can hold the password reset for only one user at a time, but it is just a

10

file on the disk and can store other information if you want.

186 186


1

UICKSTEPS

Replace Passwords (Continued)

REMOVE A PASSWORD If you move a computer to a location that doesn’t need a password—for example, if it is not accessible to anyone reason—you can do so.

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click User Accounts And Family Safety, Accounts window opens.

2. If it is not your account in which you want to remove the password, click Manage Another Account. If needed, type a password, click Yes, or in the other account that opens, click Remove Your/The Password.

Smart cards are credit card–sized pieces of plastic that have a tamper-resistant electronic circuit embedded in them that permanently stores an ID, a password, and other information. Smart cards require a personal identification number (PIN), so they add a second layer (smart card plus PIN in place of a password) that is needed to log on to a system. Smart cards can also be used to encrypt something only you (or someone with your smart card and PIN) can open.

5

and click the account you want. In your account

SMART CARDS

4

and then click User Accounts. The User

3

else, or if you want to remove a password for some other

The weakest link in the Windows 7 security scheme is the use of passwords. Users give their passwords to others or forget them, and passwords are often stolen or just “found.” There is nothing to tie a password to an individual, which is handy for sharing, but also a security risk. Two potential means of replacing passwords are smart cards and biometric devices.

2

SETTING PASSWORDS

Windows 7 detects and supports smart cards, and lets them be used to log on to a computer or network, as well for other authentication needs.

3. If it is your account, type the current password, 4. Close the Change An Account window.

For a password to be strong, it must be eight or more and use a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols, including spaces. It also should not be a recognizable word, name, or date.

Most smart card readers are usable with Windows 7. The drivers for these devices either are included with or are available for Windows 7, and installing them is not difficult; you need only follow the instructions that come with them.

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9

With a smart card reader installed, set up new accounts (as described in “Set Up Users”) and then, for both new and old accounts, open each user’s Create Password window, and click Smart Card Is Required For Interactive Logon, which will appear when a smart card reader is present. You do not have to enter a password.

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characters long; use both upper- and lowercase letters;

7

TIP

Smart cards require a reader to be attached to the computer, either through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port or a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) slot. With a smart card reader, users at the logon screen need to insert their card into the reader, click Switch User, and then, when prompted, enter their PIN. With a valid card and PIN, users are authenticated and allowed on the system in the same way as they would be by entering a valid user name and password.

6

and, in any case, click Remove Password.

1 2

NOTE In case you wondered, the PIN is encrypted and placed on the smart card when it is made. The PIN is not stored

3

on the computer.

QUICKFACTS 4

CUSTOMIZING A USER ACCOUNT Each user account can be unique, with a custom Start menu, desktop, color scheme, and screen saver. When programs are installed, you can choose whether they are for just the current user or for all users. When you set

5

up a new user, it is as though you are setting up a new

Smart cards do provide an added degree of security over passwords, but if someone obtains both the card and the PIN, he or she’s home-free. The only way to be totally sure that the computer is actually talking to the authorized person is to require some form of physical identification. This is the purpose of biometric devices, which identify people by physical traits, such as voice, handprint, fingerprint, face, or eyes. Often, these devices are used with a smart card to replace the PIN. Biometric devices are becoming more common, and Windows 7 will work with many of them. Devices are available for under $100, for a fingerprint scanner, to several thousand dollars for a face scanner. Many laptops have fingerprint scanners built in. Depending on your needs, you may want to keep these devices in mind.

computer. The previous chapters of this book talk about the steps to set up a computer.

Switch Among Users

them, as described in “Set Up Users” section and the

When you have multiple users on a computer, one user can obviously log off and another log on; however, with the Welcome screen, you can use Fast User Switching (which is not available in the Starter Edition of Windows 7). This allows you to keep programs running and files open when you temporarily switch to another user. To use Fast User Switching:

“Setting Passwords” QuickSteps earlier in this chapter.

1. Click Start, click the Shut

As you may have seen earlier in this chapter, a number of elements of the account itself can be changed,

6

BIOMETRIC DEVICES

including the name, password, display picture, and account type. You can change the name and password in a manner almost identical to what you used to create

7

Down right arrow, and click Switch User. The Welcome screen will appear. Let the other person log on.

88

2. When the other person has finished using the computer and has logged off (by clicking Start, clicking the Shut Down right arrow, and clicking Log Off), you can log on normally. When you do, you will see all your programs exactly as you left them.

9

Control What a User Does

10

User accounts identify people and allow them to log on to your computer. What they can do after that depends on the permissions they have. Windows 7 188 188


1

important to think through what your needs are and how you want to do the file sharing to get the value without the harm.

A child for whom you want to set up Parental Controls Parental Controls, you must have an Administrator account with a password.

Set Parental Controls If you have a child as one of the users on your computer and you are an administrator with a password, you can control what your child can do on your computer, including hours of usage, programs he or she can run, and access to the Internet. When your child encounters a blocked program, game, or Web site, 189 189

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9

must have a Standard User account. To set up the

88

NOTE

7

Depending on how your network has been set up (see Chapter 9), the disks, folders, and files on your computer may or may not be shared. You will see in the following sections how to share what is on your computer.

6

When permissions are appropriately set, other users on your computer can access and optionally change your files and folders. Also, with appropriate permissions and other settings (see Chapter 9 for a discussion on sharing across a network), people on other computers or even you on another computer on the local area network (LAN) of which your computer is a member, can access and optionally change your files and folders.

5

can also open up your computer to significant harm. It is

4

File sharing can be a valuable and useful capability, but it

3

CAUTION

You can limit the sharing of files and folders to the Public folder within the Users folder on your computer. To do so, you must create or move the files and folders you want to share into the Public folder. The other option is to share directly the other folders on your computer. This is made easier by the inheritance attribute, where subfolders automatically inherit (take on) the permissions of their parent folder. Every object in Windows 7 NTFS, however, has its own set of security descriptors that are attached to it when it is created; with the proper permission, these security descriptors can be individually changed.

2

has two features that help you control what other users do on your computer: Parental Controls and the ability to turn Windows features on and off for a given user. In addition, Windows 7’s NT File System (NTFS) allows the sharing of folders and drives as well as the assignment of permissions to use a file, a folder, a disk, a printer, and other devices. The permissions are given to individuals and to groups to which individuals can belong. So far, you’ve seen two groups: Administrators and Standard Users (also called just “Users,”), but there are others, and you can create more.

1 2

NOTE For Parental Controls to work, the disk drives on which you want to control the use of games must use the NTFS file system. Parental Controls will not work with the


are installing Parental Controls, if a drive with the FAT

Family Safety, and then click Parental Controls. If needed, type an administrator password and click Yes. The Parental Controls window opens.

file system is detected, you will be told this. You can go

2. Click the user for whom you want to set Parental Controls to open the individual User

older File Allocation Table (FAT) file system. While you

3

a notice is displayed, including a link the child can click to request access. You, as an administrator, can allow one-time access by entering your user ID and password.

ahead and install Parental Controls, but content on the

4

FAT drive will not be controlled.

Controls window.

3. Click On under Parental Controls, as shown in Figure 8-4. 4. Click Time Limits, drag the hours to block or allow (you only need to select one or the

5.

Click Games and choose if any games can be played. Click Set Game Ratings, choose if games with no rating can be played, click a rating level, choose the type of content you want blocked, and click OK. Click Block Or Allow Specific Games, click whether to block or allow specific games installed on the computer, and click OK. Click OK again to leave Game Controls.

6.

Click Allow And Block Specific Programs, and choose whether to allow the use of all programs or only the ones you choose. If you choose to pick specific programs to allow, a list of all the programs on the computer is presented. Click those for which you want to allow access, and click OK.

7.

Click OK to close the User Controls window.

9

88

7

6

5

other, and you can drag across multiple hours and days), and then click OK.

10

Figure 8-4: Parental Controls allows you to determine what a child can do and see on your computer.

190 190


1

NOTE here, additional controls such as Web filtering and

As an administrator, you can control what parts of Windows 7 each user can use.

activity reporting are available for download and use at

1. Log on as the user for whom

the bottom of the window that opens when you first open Parental Controls in step 1 of the “Set Parental Controls”

3

section of this chapter.

you want to set Windows feature usage.

2

Control What Parts of Windows Can Be Used

In addition to the parental controls that are described

2. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click Programs and then click Programs And Features.

4

3. Click Turn Windows Features

5

On Or Off in the left column. If needed, type a password and click Yes. The Windows Features dialog box appears.

4. Click an unselected check box to turn a feature on, or click a selected check box to turn a feature off. Click the plus sign (+) where applicable to open the subfeatures and turn them on or off. When you have selected the features the user will be allowed to use, click OK.

6.

Close the Programs And Features window.

7

Set File and Folder Sharing

Path to file, folder, and drive sharing

Figure 8-5: The sharing of your computer requires that you set up your firewall, the Network And Sharing Center, and the individual drives and folders to accomplish that.

•

9

The Windows Firewall

Files are shared by being in a shared folder or drive. Folders and drives are shared by their creator or owner or by an administrator. To share folders and drives, as well as printers and other devices, both locally and over a network, you must address three components of Windows 7 that allow you to control access to your computer and its components (see Figure 8-5):

88

The Network and Sharing Center

6

Individual drive and folder sharing

5.

The Windows Firewall, which protects your computer and its contents from network access

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10


1 2 3

•

The Network And Sharing Center, which is the primary means of controlling sharing in Windows 7

•

Sharing individual drives and folders, which lets you determine if a drive, folder, or other device is shared; who has permission to access it; and what they can do with the contents

SET UP THE WINDOWS FIREWALL

4

Windows 7 includes the Windows Firewall, whose objective is to slow down and hopefully prevent anybody from accessing your computer without your permission, while at the same time allowing those who you want to use your computer to do so. The Windows Firewall is turned on by default. Check to see if it is; if it isn’t, turn it on.

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click System

5

And Security, and then click Windows Firewall. The Windows Firewall window opens and shows your firewall status.

2. If your firewall is not turned on, or if you want to turn it off, click Turn

6

Windows Firewall On Or Off in the pane on the left. If needed, type a password and click Yes. The Windows Firewall Settings window opens. Click the respective option button to turn on your firewall (highly recommended) or to turn it off (not recommended). You can do this for both your local network and for the public network to which you are connected, which includes the Internet. Click OK.

7

3. To change the settings for what the firewall will and won’t let through,

88

TIP In the Windows Firewall Allowed Programs window, you can determine what each option does by highlighting it

10

9

and clicking Details at the bottom of the dialog box.

192 192


click Allow A Program Or Feature Through Windows Firewall at the top of the left column. The Allowed Programs window opens, as shown in Figure 8-6.

4. In the Programs And Features list, select the services running on your computer that you want to allow people from the Internet to use. To share information across a LAN, click at least the following items:

• Core Networking • File And Printer Sharing

1

NOTE 2

You will probably have other programs selected, such as Internet Explorer and Windows Live Messenger, that can be used on the Internet.

3

TIP If you have a specific program not on the Windows Firewall Allowed Programs And Features list, you can

4

include that program by clicking Allow Another Program at the bottom of the Windows Firewall Allowed Programs window. Select the program from the list or browse to its location, and click Add.

5

UICKSTEPS TESTING AN INTERNET FIREWALL

6

You can test your firewall and see how well it is performing. TEST FOR FILE SHARING A Web site called ShieldsUP! has been set up by Gibson

Figure 8-6: The Windows 7 Firewall can be configured to allow certain programs and features to come through.

1. Click Internet Explorer on the taskbar. In the Address text box, type www.grc.com, and press ENTER. Click the ShieldsUP! logo.

ShieldsUP! link, and click it. Read the page that opens, and click Proceed.

• HomeGroup • Network Discovery • Windows Collaboration Computer Name Registration Service • Windows Peer To Peer Collaboration Foundation

88

2. Scroll down the page until you see the

7

Research that will test and see how good your firewall is.

5. Click to select each program or feature you want to allow through the firewall. Click OK

3. Read the next page that appears, and then click

to close the Windows Firewall Allowed Programs window, and then click Close to close the Windows Firewall control panel.

that shown in Figure 8-7. (Stay on the Gibson

9

File Sharing. You should get a report similar to Research site.) Continued . . .

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1 2

UICKSTEPS TESTING AN INTERNET FIREWALL (Continued) The Windows 7 Firewall generally does pretty well on

3

this test. TEST FOR PORT VULNERABILITY Gibson Research has a second test for specific port vulnerability. (In this case, “ports” are preassigned

4

addresses that, when combined with your computer’s address, allow a specific type of traffic, like email, into your computer).

1. While still on the Gibson Research site’s ShieldsUP! page, scroll down and click Common

5

Ports. Scroll down and look at the details. It is far better than Gibson would have you believe. On the computer in Figure 8-7, the test shows that all ports were either hidden or closed to outside connection, but in Gibson’s opinion, all should

6

be hidden. In my opinion, this is not a serious issue. Anyone who actually tried to exploit this vulnerability would have a hard time doing so with

7

any success.

2. When you are done, close Internet Explorer. Windows 7 Firewall is very good and one of the easiest

Figure 8-7: The Windows 7 Firewall does well in the firewall tests.

to use. If you are still concerned about Internet security, however, there are both hardware and other software

88

firewalls available. To start, consider the firewalls that come with antivirus software such as Norton Antivirus. You can also look at ZoneAlarm from Zone Labs (both free and paid-for software) at www.zonelabs.com and WatchGuard (various models of hardware) at

10

9

www.watchguard.com.

USE THE NETWORK AND SHARING CENTER

The second layer of file-sharing protection in Windows 7 is controlled with the Network And Sharing Center, shown in Figure 8-8, which allows you to turn on or off the primary components of sharing information among users on a computer and across a network. The first time Windows 7 was run, a choice was made between a public and private network. The Network And Sharing Center allows you to change that. If you are primarily sharing your computer with other computers within an

194 194


1

2.

If you want to change the type of network (home, work, or public) you are connected to, click the current type of network to the right of the icon (in Figure 8-8, it is Home Network). The Set Network Location dialog box will appear.

4

Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click Network And Internet, and then click Network And Sharing Center. The Network And Sharing Center window opens, as shown in Figure 8-8.

3

1.

2

organization or a residence, you should select either Home or Work Network, where network sharing is relatively simple. If you are primarily using public wireless or cable Internet connections and allowing very little sharing of your computer, select Public, which makes it more difficult for someone to get into your computer.

5 6

Figure 8-8: The Network And Sharing Center is the primary means of sharing your computer.

7

88 9

3. Read the conditions that are expected in each network type, and then click the type that is correct for you. If needed, type a password and click Yes. Your choice will be confirmed. Click Close.

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1 2

4. Each type of network has sharing settings that are automatically set. Home Network is

3

5. Review the settings that are shown. In a home or work network, you probably want and

4

the most open, with just about everything shared; Public Network is the other extreme. If you want to review the settings that have been made with your choice and possibly make changes, click Change Advanced Sharing Settings. The Advanced Sharing Settings window will open.

• Turn On Network Discovery • Turn On File And Printer Sharing • Turn On Sharing So Anyone With Network Access Can Read And Write Files In

will have already set:

Public Folders

5

• Media Streaming Is On • Use 128-Bit Encryption • Turn Off Password Protection Sharing (with a Home Network) • Allow Windows To Manage Homegroup Connections (with a Home Network) For a public network, you probably want the opposite settings.

6

6. Make any changes that you feel you need, and then, if you made changes, click Save Changes. If needed, enter the password and click Yes. Otherwise, click Cancel.

7. When you have finished with the Network And Sharing Center, click Close.

7

HOMEGROUP FOLDER SHARING

88

NOTE A homegroup is a group of networking computer users who want to easily share information and resources on their computers. Such a group can be in a residence or in

10

9

a smaller organization. Only Windows 7 computers can join a homegroup.

196 196


The final layer of sharing settings is the determination of the disks and folders you want to share. Windows 7’s HomeGroup makes sharing files and folders within the homegroup much easier. When Windows 7 is first installed or started, you are asked if you want a home, work, or public network. If you choose Home, which may also be a good idea for small businesses, a homegroup is either set up or joined, depending on whether a homegroup already exists. You are then shown a list of your libraries and asked if you want to share them. By default, your pictures, music, printers, and videos are shared for anyone to read, view, or use but not to change. Documents are not shared, but you can change this at the time of installation or at a later time. You can make these changes at the library level or at the disk and folder level. To do this at the library level:

1

Make any changes that you feel you need, and then, if you made changes, click Save Changes. If needed, enter the password and click Yes. Otherwise, click Cancel.

Click Start and click Computer. In the folders (left) pane, click Libraries so the detail libraries (documents, music, pictures, or videos) are shown in the right pane.

2.

Right-click the library whose sharing you want to change, and click Share With. The context menu and file-sharing submenu will appear.

6

Figure 8-9: The HomeGroup default is to share three of your libraries plus your printer within your homegroup.

1.

5

To go beyond the sharing of libraries within the homegroup, and even then only for someone to read, view, or use your libraries, you need to go to the individual drives and folders. You can change the sharing of libraries so that other users can change contents in addition to reading or viewing them. To do that:

4

2.

3

Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click Network And Internet, and then click HomeGroup. The HomeGroup window opens. If this is the first time you are looking into HomeGroup, you’ll be asked if you want to share any libraries. Click Choose What You Want To Share. The Share Libraries And Printers window will open, as shown in Figure 8-9. If you have previously reviewed HomeGroup, the Share Libraries And Printers window will open (see Figure 8-9).

2

1.

7

88 9

197 197

10


1 2

NOTE Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic editions can only join a homegroup and can’t establish one or change the sharing of one.

3. By default, the libraries are shared among the homegroup to be read only. You can allow homegroup members both read and write access to your libraries, or you can select specific people and give them specific permissions, as described in the next section, “Share Standard Folders with Specific People.” Click the option you want, and, when you are finished, close the Windows Explorer window.

3

SHARE STANDARD FOLDERS WITH SPECIFIC PEOPLE

1.

Click Start and click Computer. In the folders (left) pane, open the disk and folders necessary to see in the right pane the folder you want to share.

2.

Right-click the folder and click Share With. The file-sharing menu will appear, as you saw in the last section.

3.

Click Specific People to open the File Sharing dialog box. This shows you the current sharing of the folder, as you can see in Figure 8-10.

4.

Click the down arrow on the right of the top text box to open a list of users and groups known to your computer. Click the user or group you want to give permission to use this disk or folder, possibly the Everyone group, and click Add. The user or group is added to the list in the lower part of the dialog box with the minimal permission level of Read.

88

7

6

5

4

Standard folders are shared differently than disk drives and the Users folders, but are similar to sharing libraries, where you can share them with specific people. To share standard folders with specific people:

Figure 8-10: The sharing of standard folders with specific people takes you to a permissions dialog box.

5. Click the Permission Level down arrow for your new user or group to open the alternative permission levels. Click the level you want for the addition:

9

• Read allows the user to view the files in the shared folder. • Read/Write allows the user to view, add, change, and delete any of the files in the shared folder.

10

6. Click Share and, if needed, type a password and click Yes. Click Done to complete the process. 198 198


1

NOTE are given the same sharing status due to inheritance. If that is not what you want for a particular folder, you must individually change the sharing status of the folders within it.

SHARE DRIVES AND SPECIAL FOLDERS

Disk drives and special folders—like the Users, Program Files, and Windows folders—have a more detailed sharing process.

Sharing. The Properties dialog box will appear with the Sharing tab displayed, as shown in Figure 8-11.

5

the one you want is not listed, click Add, click Advanced, click Find Now, double-click a user or group, and click OK.

4

3. Click Advanced Sharing and, if needed, type a password and click Yes. 4. Click Share This Folder, change the share name if desired, and click Permissions. 5. Select a listed user or group; or, if

3

1. Click Start and click Computer. Navigate to the drive or folder you want to share. 2. Right-click the drive or folder you want to share, click Share With, and click Advanced

2

When you share a folder, all folders and files within it

6. With the user or group selected,

6

click the permission level you want for that entity. The levels of permission are as follows:

• Read allows the user or group to read but not change or delete a file or folder.

7

• Change allows the user or group to read and change but not delete a file or folder.

• Full Control allows the user or Figure 8-11: Drives and special folders use a different sharing procedure.

88

group to read, change, or delete a file or folder.

7. Click OK twice and close the Properties dialog box and Windows Explorer.

Use and Add Groups

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9

Groups, or group accounts, are collections of user accounts that can have permissions, such as file sharing, granted to them. Most permissions are granted to groups, not individuals, and then individuals are made members

1 2

of the groups. You need a set of groups that handles both the mix of people and the mix of permissions that you want to establish. A number of standard groups with preassigned permissions are built into Windows 7, but you can create your own groups, and you can assign users to any of these.

3

OPEN EXISTING GROUPS

To open the groups in Windows 7 and see what permissions they contain: Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click System And Security, and then click Administrative Tools.

2.

In the right pane, double-click Computer Management. If needed, type a password and click Yes.

3.

In the left pane, click the triangle opposite System Tools to open it, click the triangle opposite Local Users And Groups to open that, and click Groups. The list of built-in groups is displayed, as shown in Figure 8-12.

6

5

4

1.

7

Figure 8-12: There are a number of built-in groups to which users can be assigned.

4. Double-click a few groups to open the Properties dialog box for each and see the members they contain.

ADD USERS TO GROUPS

88

NOTE “Standard Users” are called just “Users” in the list of groups.

1. Right-click a group to which you want to add a user, and click Add To Group. Click Add. The Select Users dialog box will appear.

2. Either type a name in the text box and click Check Names, or click Advanced and then click Find Now. A list of users on that computer will be displayed. Select the user that you want to add (hold down CTRL to select several), and click OK.

3. When you are done, click OK twice.

9

ADD A GROUP

1. In the Computer Management window, in the list of groups in the middle (subject)

10

pane, right-click in a white area so that no group is selected, and then click New Group. The New Group dialog box appears.

200 200


1

2. Enter a group name of up to 60 characters (Windows 7 lets you enter more, but if you

2

ever want to use the group in Windows 2000 or NT systems, it will not work). It cannot contain just numbers, periods, or spaces; it can’t contain “ / \ [ ] : ; | = ,+ * ? < >; and leading spaces or periods are dropped.

3. Enter the description of what the group can uniquely do, and click Add. Then follow the

3

instructions in “Add Users to Groups” except for clicking OK the final time in step 3.

4. When your group is the way you want it (see Figure 8-13), click Create and then click Close. The new group will appear in the list in the middle of the Computer Management window. Close the Computer Management window.

4

Protect Stored Data 5

Figure 8-13: Creating your own group lets you give it your own set of permissions.

Protecting stored data is another layer of protection. It works to make unusable whatever is found on the computer by someone who managed to break through the other layers of protection.

Protect Files and Folders 6

You can protect files and folders in two ways: hide them and encrypt them. Start by opening the Properties dialog box for the file or folder.

1. Click Start and click Computer. In the navigation pane, open the disk and folders necessary to locate in the right pane the file or folder you want to protect.

7

2. Right-click the file or folder you want to protect, and click Properties. The Properties dialog box will appear, as shown for a file in Figure 8-14 (there are slight differences among file and folder Properties dialog boxes).

HIDE FILES AND FOLDERS

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Hiding files and folders lets you prevent them from being displayed by Windows Explorer. This assumes the person from whom you want to hide them does not know how to display hidden files or how to turn off the hidden

9


201 201

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Figure 8-14: Protecting files and folders is accomplished from the files’ and folders’ Properties dialog boxes.

1 2

QUICKFACTS UNDERSTANDING PERMISSIONS Permissions authorize a user or a group to perform some function on an object, such as files, folders, disks, and printers. Objects have sets of permissions associated

3

with them that can be assigned to users and groups. The specific permissions depend on the object, but all objects have at least two permissions: Read and either Modify or Change. Permissions are initially set in one of three

4

ways:

• The application or process that creates an object can set its permissions upon creation.

• If the object allows the inheritance of permissions and they were not set upon creation, a parent

5

object can propagate permissions to the object. For example, a parent folder can propagate its permissions to a subfolder that it contains.

• If neither the creator nor the parent sets the

attribute. To hide a file or folder, you must both turn on its hidden attribute and turn off the Display Hidden Files feature.

1. In the file or folder Properties dialog box, click Hidden, click OK, and click OK again to confirm the attribute change. If needed, type a password and click Yes (the object’s icon becomes dimmed or disappears).

2. In the Windows Explorer window, click the Organize menu, click Folder And Search Options, click the View tab, and make sure Don’t Show Hidden Files, Folders, Or Drives is selected. Click OK to close the Folder Options dialog box. Close and reopen the parent folder, and the file or folder you hid will disappear.

3. To restore the file or folder to view, click the Organize menu, click Folder And Search Options, click the View tab, click Show Hidden Files, Folders, And Drives, and click OK. Then, when you can see the file or folder, open its Properties dialog box, and deselect the Hidden attribute.

6

permissions for an object, the Windows 7 system default settings will do it. Once an object is created, its permissions can be changed by its owner, an administrator, or anyone else

88

7

who has been given authority to do this.

ENCRYPT FILES AND FOLDERS

File and folder encryption, called the Encrypting File System (EFS), is built into Windows 7 using NTFS (it is not available in the Starter, Home Basic, or Home Premium editions). Once EFS is turned on for a file or a folder, only the person who encrypted the file or folder will be able to read it. However, you can back up the encryption key and use that to access the file or folder. For the person who encrypted the file, accessing it requires no additional steps, and the file is re-encrypted every time it is saved. To encrypt a file or folder from Windows Explorer, starting with files:

1. From the General tab in the file’s Properties dialog box, click Advanced. The Advanced Attributes dialog box appears.

10

9

2. Click Encrypt Contents To Secure Data, and click OK twice.

202 202


1

3. If you are encrypting a file, you will see an encryption warning that the file is not in an

2

encrypted folder, which means that when you edit the file, temporary or backup files might be created that are not encrypted. Choose whether to encrypt only the file or to encrypt both the file and its parent folder, and then click OK.

4. If you are encrypting a folder, the Confirm Attribute Changes dialog box appears,

3 4

asking if you want to apply the encryption to this folder only or to both the folder and its contents. If you click This Folder Only, existing files and folders in the folder will not be encrypted, while files and folders later created in or copied to the encrypted folder will be. If you click This Folder, Subfolders, and Files, all files and folders will be encrypted. Choose the setting that is correct for you, and click OK. If needed, type a password and click Yes.

5. Log off as the current user, and log on as another user. Click Start, click Computer,

TIP files during normal execution, it is recommended that folders rather than files be the encrypting container. If an application is then told to store all files in that folder, where all files are automatically encrypted upon saving, security

CAUTION Subfolders, and Files, any files or subfolders belonging to others will be encrypted with your key, and the owners will not be able to use what they created.

it), reopen the file or folder Properties dialog box, click Advanced, deselect Encrypt Contents To Secure Data, and click OK twice (three times with folders).

BACK UP YOUR ENCRYPTION KEY

If you use file encryption, it is important to back up your file encryption key so that you do not lose the information you have, and you may be reminded of this. It is also important, of course, to keep the media that you back up on safe so that it can’t be used. The key is part of a digital certificate, so this section refers to backing up the certificate.

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7

If you encrypt a shared folder and select This Folder,

6. To decrypt a file or folder, log on as yourself (given you’re the person who encrypted

6

is improved.

5

Because many applications save temporary and secondary

and open the drive and folders necessary to display in the right pane the file or folder you encrypted. You can see that the file exists, but when you try to open it, edit it, print it, or move it, you will get a message that access is denied.

Family Safety, and then click User Accounts. Your User Account window opens.

2. Click Manage Your File Encryption Certificates in the left column. If needed, type a password and click Yes to open the Encrypting File System dialog box.

9

3. Read about what you can do with this wizard, and click Next. By default, a certificate was automatically created when Windows was installed—that certificate or a more recent one will appear in the Certificate Details area, as shown in Figure 8-15. Click Next.

203 203

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1

Click Browse and navigate to the removable disk and folder you want to hold the certificate (it is not recommended to save the key on the same machine where the encryption is located). Type a filename and click Save.

5.

Type a password and confirm it, and then click Next. Select the folders with encrypted files that you want the new certificate and key applied to, and click Next. Your files will be updated with the new key.

6.

When you are told the files have been updated and where the key is stored, click Close and close the User Accounts window.

7.

Store the removable disc or USB flash drive in a safe place.

4

3

2

4.

Use Encrypted Files and Folders

7

6

5

If you are the person who encrypted a file or folder and you log on as yourself, you can use the file or folder exactly as you would if it hadn’t been encrypted. The only way you know the files or folders are encrypted is that Windows Explorer shows them in green, as shown in Figure 8-16. If you log on as someone else, or if someone else logs on as anyone other than you, they will not be able to use the files or folders. Copying and moving encrypted files and folders, however, has a special set of rules: Figure 8-15: A security certificate is required to use file encryption.

•

If you copy or move a file or folder into an encrypted folder, the item copied or moved will be encrypted.

•

If you copy or move a file or folder to an unencrypted folder, the item moved remains as it was prior to being moved. If it was unencrypted, it remains so. If it was encrypted, it is still encrypted after being moved.

•

Someone other than the owner who tries to copy or move encrypted files or folders to a different computer sees an error message that access is denied.

•

If the owner copies or moves an encrypted file or folder to another file system, such as Windows NT 4 NTFS or Windows 98 FAT32, the encryption is removed, but a warning message is generated before the copy or move is complete.

•

Backing up encrypted files or folders with Windows 7 Backup leaves the items encrypted.

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TIP To use a backed up encryption key, insert the removable media with the key, open the drive in Windows Explorer, and browse to and double-click the file with the key. In the Certificate Import Wizard that opens, click Next, confirm

9

that you have the right file, and click Next. Type the password used to back up the key, select how you want to use the key, and click Next. Select the certificate store

10

you want, click Next, and click Finish.

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1

UICKSTEPS 2

LOCKING A COMPUTER By default, when your screen saver comes on and you return to use your system, you must go through the logon screen. If you have added a password to your

3

account, you have to enter it to get back into the system, which is a means of preventing unauthorized access when you are away from your running computer. If you don’t want to wait for your screen saver to come on, you can click Start, click the Shut Down right arrow, and

4

click Lock; or you can press

(the Windows logo

key)+L to immediately bring up the logon screen, from which your screen saver will open at the appropriate time.

5

Depending on your environment, having to go through the logon screen every time you come out of the screen saver may or may not be beneficial. To turn off or turn

Figure 8-16: Windows Explorer shows the information for encrypted files in green.

back on the screen saver protection:

1. Right-click the desktop and click Personalize.

6

Click Screen Saver.

2. Select or deselect On Resume, Display Logon Screen, depending on whether you want to display the logon screen upon returning to your

7

system (see Figure 8-17.)

3. Click OK to close the Screen Saver Settings dialog box, and close the Personalization window.

88 9

Figure 8-17: You can password-protect your system when you leave it unattended by having the logon screen appear when you return after using the screen saver. 205 205

10



1

How to… Select a Network Architecture

•

Select a Network Standard

2

•

Selecting Wired Ethernet Hardware

3

•

Set Up Network Interface Cards Selecting Wireless Hardware Enable Windows 7’s Networking Functions

•

Configure a Networking Protocol

Chapter 9

Setting Up Networking

4

•

Getting a Block of IP Addresses Test a Network Setup and Connection

•

Review Network Security

7 8

Plan a Network

6

Networking is the ability to connect two or more computers and allow them to share information and resources, whether at home, in an organization, or around the world. The Internet, as was discussed in Chapter 4, is a form of networking. This chapter discusses a local area network, or LAN, which is generally confined to a single residence or building, or perhaps just a section of a building. (The Internet is a wide area network, or WAN.) You’ll see what comprises a LAN, how to set it up, and how to use it.

5

•

Windows 7 is a network operating system. This allows the interconnection of multiple computers for many purposes:

99

• •

Exchanging information, such as sending a file from one computer to another Communicating, for example, sending email among network users

Setting Up Networking

207

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1 2

• •

Sharing information by having common files accessed by network users Sharing network resources, such as printers and Internet connections

3

Networking is a system that includes the connection between computers that facilitates the transfer of information, as well as the scheme for controlling that transfer. The scheme makes sure that the information is transferred correctly and accurately. This is the function of the networking hardware and software in your computer and the protocols, or standards, they use.

4

Select a Network Architecture

6

5

Your network architecture is the combination of hardware, software, and standards that are used to perform networking. Today, the majority of LANs use the Ethernet standard, which determines the type of network hardware and software needed by the network, and TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol), which determines how information is exchanged over the network. With this foundation, you can then choose between using a peer-topeer LAN or a client-server LAN.

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8

7

PEER-TO-PEER LANS

Computer equipment photos are courtesy of Dell, Inc., and are used by permission. Network equipment photos are courtesy of LinkSys by Cisco and are used by permission.

10

Figure 9-1: In a peer-to-peer LAN, all computers are both servers and clients.

208 208

Windows 7 QuickSteps Setting Up Your Networking PC QuickSteps Getting to Know PC

All computers in a peer-to-peer LAN are both servers and clients and, therefore, share in both providing and using resources. Any computer in the network may store information and provide resources, such as a printer, for the use of any other computer in the network. Peer-to-peer networking is an easy first step to networking, accomplished simply by joining computers together, as shown in Figure 9-1. It does not require the purchase of new computers or significant changes to the way an organization is using computers, yet resources can be shared (as is the printer in Figure 9-1), files and communications can be transferred, and common information can be accessed by all.

1

NOTE connected to the networks directly into hubs or switches. In most cases, the Internet will come into a network through some form of router that may be part of a hub or switch, or separately plug into a hub or switch. Because not even be a separate element, it is omitted in these figures.

3

the nature of the router can take various forms, and may

Peer-to-peer LANs tend to be used in smaller organizations that do not need to share a large central resource, such as a database, or to have a high degree of security or central control. Each computer in a peer-to-peer LAN is autonomous and often networked with other computers simply to transfer files and share expensive equipment. Putting together a peer-to-peer LAN with existing computers is easy, and can be inexpensive (less than $40 per station).

2

Figures 9-1 through 9-3 show the Internet being

CLIENT/SERVER LANS

99 10

209 209

8

Windows 7 QuickStepsGetting Setting Up Networking PC QuickSteps to Know Your PC

7

Figure 9-2: In a client/server LAN, one or more computers are servers and the rest are clients.

6


Clients generally are less capable than servers and, infrequently, may not even have a disk. Clients usually are standard desktop and laptop computers that perform the normal functions of those types of machines in addition to being part of a network. Clients can also be “miniservers” by sharing some or all of their disk drives or

5

The management functions provided by the server include network security, managing the permissions needed to implement security, communications among network users, and management of shared files on the network. Servers generally are more capable than clients in terms of having more memory, faster (and possibly more) processors, larger (and maybe more) disks, and more special peripherals, such as large, high-speed tape drives. Servers, generally, are dedicated to their function and are infrequently used for normal computer tasks, such as word processing.

4

The computers in a client/server LAN perform one of two functions: They are either servers or clients. Servers manage the network, centrally store information to be shared on the network, and provide the shared resources to the network. Clients, or workstations, are the users of the network and are standard desktop or laptop computers. To create a network, the clients and server(s) are connected together, with the possible addition of stand-alone network resources, such as printers, as shown in Figure 9-2.

1 2

other resources. So the principal difference between peer-to-peer networks and client/server networks is the presence of a dedicated server.

3

Windows 7 and either Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2003 work together to form a client/server network operating environment, with Windows Server performing its function and Windows 7 being the client. Several Windows 7 computers can operate in a peer-to-peer network.

4

TIP If you are using all Windows 7 computers in a peer-topeer network, the Windows 7 HomeGroup (as described in Chapter 8) provides an easy setup and a number of

5

file-sharing features that could be beneficial even to smaller organizations.

There are simple client/server networks, and there are client/server networks where one or more servers are set up as domain controllers and the entire network is considered a domain. In a large organization, a domain provides many benefits—most importantly, a central registry for all users so that one registration provides access to all the computers and resources in the domain. Domains, however, are complex and require significant expertise to set up and manage. This book, therefore, focuses on setting up and using a peer-to-peer network and on connecting to a client/server network.

6

Select a Network Standard

NOTE 7

In the name for the Ethernet standard, 10/100/1000BaseT, the “10/100/1000” indicates the alternative operating speeds in Mbps; the “Base” is for baseband, a type of transmission; and the “T” stands for the type of cabling (twisted-pair).

Windows 7 supports the two predominant networking standards: wired Ethernet and wireless. These, in turn, determine the type of hardware you need. USE WIRED ETHERNET

The wired Ethernet standard comes in several forms based on speed and cable type. The most common, called 10/100/1000BaseT, provides a network that operates at the regular Ethernet speed of 10 Mbps, at the Fast Ethernet speed of 100 Mbps, or at the Gigabit Ethernet speed of 1000 Mbps.

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8

A wired Ethernet 10/100/1000BaseT system, shown in Figure 9-3, has three major components:

•

The network interface card (NIC) plugs into your computer or is built into it and connects it to the network.

•

A hub, switch, or router joins several computers together to form the network:

10

A hub, the simplest and oldest device, is where all computers are on the equivalent of a telephone party line (everybody can hear everybody else).

210 210


1

•

5

Figure 9-3: A wired Ethernet network consists of a card in your computer, a hub or switch into which other computers are connected, and a cable connecting the two.

Ethernet networks are easy to set up (see “Set Up a Network” later in this chapter), have become pervasive throughout organizations, and have an average cost for all components of less than $40 per computer on the network.

4


An unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) telephone-like cable with a simple RJ-45 connector (similar to that for a telephone but larger) joins the NIC to the hub, switch, or router. This cable is called Category 5 or enhanced Category 5 (“Cat 5” or “Cat 5e,” respectively).

3

A router joins two different networks, for example, the Internet to a local area network. Often, a router is combined with a hub or a switch, either in one device or in two devices, to join the Internet to several computers.

2

A switch is a newer device, about the same price as a hub and has virtually made them obsolete, where all computers are on the equivalent of a private telephone line.

USE A WIRELESS LAN

In addition to the WLAN standard, the WiFi standard makes sure that the hardware from different manufacturers is compatible. Thus, you can walk into any office, airport,

coffee shops, you see signs for “WiFi hotspots,” meaning you can use a wireless connection to access the Internet

•

802.11b is the oldest and provides data transfer of up to 11 Mbps using a secure transmission scheme.

•

802.11g came next, is currently the dominate standard, is up to five times faster than 802.11b (54 Mbps), but generally operates at 22 to 24 Mbps, and is built into many computers.

•

802.11n is between three and seven times as fast as 802.11g, operating between 70 and 140 Mbps under normal conditions, and it can be as much as 10 times as fast (300 Mbps) under perfect conditions, which are difficult to achieve. 802.11n will operate proportionally faster at a longer distance than 802.11g, but all three standards are range-sensitive (the greater the distance between the computer and the wireless access point, the slower the speed).

99

appropriate permissions. In many airports, hotels, and

8

and connect to the WLAN at that location if you have the

7

or coffee shop with a WiFi standard wireless system

Wireless LANs (WLANs) replace the cable used in a wired network with small radio transceivers (transmitter and receiver) at the computer and at the switch and/or router. There are several wireless standards, but the most common are 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n. All three are WiFi-compliant (WiFi is a trademark for a set of wireless fidelity standards) and are compatible with one another.

6

NOTE

at that location—sometimes free and sometimes at a cost.

211 211

10


1

Most public WiFi locations will handle 802.11b or g, while “n” is usually only available in private businesses and homes.

2

NOTE Lessened security is also a potential downside with

A WLAN has two components (see Figure 9-4):

wireless if it isn’t set up properly. For example, if you

•

An access point is connected to the wired Ethernet network by being plugged into a hub, a switch, or a router. It uses a transceiver to communicate wirelessly with cards that are added to computers using the WLAN.

•

An adapter plugs into or is built into your computer, and has a transceiver built in to communicate wirelessly with an access point within its range. There are PC adapters for use in notebook computers and PCI adapters for use in desktop computers.

3

don’t turn on encryption and the use of passwords, your neighbor (or hacker cruising your neighborhood) might be

4

able to get on your network or look at your network traffic.

7

6

5

If the access point is plugged into a hub or switch on a wired network, the wireless computers within the range of the access point operate on the network in exactly the same way as they would with a cable connection, except they are slower. A WLAN has some significant benefits over a normal wired LAN:

•

You do not have the expense of cabling and the even higher expense of installing and maintaining cabling.

•

Adding and removing users from the network is extremely easy.

UICKSTEPS SELECTING WIRED ETHERNET HARDWARE Selecting networking hardware for wired Ethernet means selecting a NIC, a hub or switch, and cabling. For all hardware, a brand-name product giving you a company

8

that stands behind what you are buying can be beneficial. Respected brands of networking gear include 3Com, Cisco and its subsidiary Linksys, D-Link, Netgear, and RealTek. SELECT A NETWORK INTERFACE CARD

99

Most new computers come with a built-in 10/100 Ethernet NIC and some now include 1000 (Gigabit), so you may not need to add this. You already have a NIC if your computer has two telephone-style jacks, one slightly Continued . . .

10


212 212


Figure 9-4: A wireless network consists of an adapter that plugs into or is built into your computer and an access point that is connected to a wired network, the Internet, or both.

1

UICKSTEPS larger than the other. The larger one is the connection to the NIC. The other jack is for the modem.

your computer. For a desktop computer, you want a 10/100 or 10/100/1000 NIC for either the PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus or the USB (Universal Serial Bus). If you use a NIC that plugs into the PCI bus, you are uncomfortable doing that, most computer stores will do it for little more than the cost of the card ($25 to $50). You need to

Visitors can easily get on the network.

The downsides are (potentially) cost, speed, and security, but all of these are manageable. The cost per computer of a wired network, as was said previously, is less than $40 per computer. The cost per computer of a wireless network may be the same or less, considering that a wireless adapter is built into most laptops. The speed difference is more significant, not just because of the difference between a 54-Mbps or higher access point and a 100-Mbps network, but because of the net rate of dividing the 11- or 54-Mbps access point by the number of people trying to use it. Despite these drawbacks, there is a large movement to WLANs, and a number of systems are being sold for both offices and homes.

5

carry in only the computer itself, not

Users can roam within an area, say, carrying their laptops to a meeting.

4

you will need to open the computer case and plug it in. If

Users can move easily from office to office.

3

If you don’t have a NIC, you can generally add one to

• • •

2

SELECTING WIRED ETHERNET HARDWARE (Continued)

the monitor, keyboard, or mouse. If you choose a USB NIC, it will cost slightly more, but it plugs into a socket on the outside of the case.1

plugs in from the outside, so it is easy to add. It uses one of three connections (in all cases, you want

• PC Card short for PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association), which goes into a

Be sure the NIC is properly set up. Install the networking functions that you want to perform.

8

slot on the side of laptops

• • •

7

a 10/100/1000 NIC):

When you installed Windows 7, a basic set of networking services was installed and configured, using system defaults. This setup may, but doesn’t always, provide an operable networking system. Look at these three areas to set up basic networking, which means that your computer can communicate with other computers in the network:

6

For a laptop computer, the NIC

Set Up a Network

Review your network security settings.

• Express card, which also goes into a slot on the side of newer laptops

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Continued . . . 1

Network equipment photos are courtesy of LinkSys by Cisco and are used by permission.

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1 2

UICKSTEPS NOTE

SELECTING WIRED ETHERNET HARDWARE (Continued)

In many of the steps in the following sections of this

• USB connector, which plugs into a

chapter, you will be interrupted and asked by User

USB port on the computer, either in

Account Control (UAC) for permission to continue. So

3

laptops or desktops

long as it is something you started, you want to click

4

SELECT CONNECTING DEVICES

Continue or enter an administrator’s password. To keep

There are two common connecting devices:

the steps as simple as possible, we have left out the UAC

hubs, which are like a party-line telephone

instructions. Chapter 8 discusses UAC in more detail.

system where everybody hears all the traffic; and switches, which are like a private-line telephone system. Switches once cost a lot

Set Up Network Interface Cards

more, so hubs were used. Today, switches

5

and hubs are virtually the same price. A simple switch

If the computer you are setting up has a NIC that is both certified for Windows 7 and fully Plug and Play–compatible, then your NIC was installed by Windows Setup without incident and you don’t need to read this section. Otherwise, this section examines how the NIC was installed and what you need to do to make it operational.

runs from under $20, for a 10/100 four-port one, to under $50 for an eight-port Gigabit switch. You need a port for each user on the system, plus one for your broadband (DSL or cable) Internet

6

connection. The largest switches have 48 ports, but you can stack switches by plugging them into one another. You want at least

Assuming that a NIC is properly plugged into the computer, any of these things could be causing it to not operate:

an Ethernet 10/100 switch and possibly a

7

Gigabit one with the number of ports that meet your needs. SELECT CABLING For 10/100 Ethernet networking, you need either Category 5 or Category 5e (for enhanced) cabling (these

8

are called “Cat 5” or “Cat 5e,” respectively) with RJ-45 male connectors on each end. Such cables come in various colors and lengths, up to 100 feet with the ends molded on, or in lengths up to 1,000 feet without the ends,

99

where you need a crimping tool to add the ends. Cat 5e cable, which provides better transmission capability, is almost the same price as Cat 5, so I recommend it, and

10

if you are going to use Gigabit Ethernet, you need Cat 5e.

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•

The NIC driver is not recognized by Windows 7; it is either missing or not properly installed.

•

The NIC is not functioning properly.

Look at each of these possibilities in turn. CHECK THE NIC AND ITS DRIVER

Check the status of your NIC and whether you have a driver installed. If you don’t, you can install one.

1

TIP

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click Network And Internet,

so without a hub or a switch, but you need a special crossover cable where the connections are reversed on each end. Most computer stores carry such a cable.

means selecting a wireless adapter and a wireless access point. The same manufacturers as were listed for wired Ethernet hardware are recommended. SELECT A WIRELESS SPEED

see if you are connected to a network by the double line between your computer and the network icon in the center and then if you are connected to the Internet by the double line between the network icon and the Internet icon on the right. In the middle-right area of the Network And Sharing Center, you see if you have a local area connection (wired) and/or a wireless connection. If your Network And Sharing Center looks like Figure 9-5, you have all these connections (you don’t need both a local area connection and a wireless connection) and you can be assured your NIC is working, and you can skip to the next chapter.

3. If you do not see the connections shown in Figure 9-5, you need to start the process of figuring out why and getting it fixed. Click Change Adapter Settings in the left pane. The Network Connections window opens. If you have an icon in the window labeled “Local Area Connection” and/or “Wireless Network Connection,” as shown here, you have the NIC driver properly installed and you can go on to the section “Enable Windows 7’s Networking Functions.”

5

Selecting networking hardware for a wireless network

2. In the Network And Sharing Center, the top of which is shown in Figure 9-5, you can

4

SELECTING WIRELESS HARDWARE

and then click Network And Sharing Center. The Network And Sharing Center window opens.

3

UICKSTEPS

2

If you want to network only two computers, you can do

6

If you are installing a new wireless network, the up-to54-Mbps 802.11g standard is the minimum, and you probably want to consider the up-to-300-Mbps 802.11n, although “n” is new and is two to three times more

7

expensive. SELECT A WIRELESS ADAPTER Most laptops come with a built-in wireless adapter, so you may not need to buy one. For a desktop computer,

8

you will need a PCI or USB wireless adapter for the speed you have chosen, and, with PCI, you will need to open up the computer to plug it in or have a store do it. For a laptop computer without the built-in capability, you need a PC Card, Express Card, or USB wireless adapter (you need to check whether your laptop uses a PC Card

Figure 9-5: The Network And Sharing Center will tell you if you are connected to a local area network, a wireless network, and to the Internet.

99

of the appropriate speed, which you can easily plug in

Continued . . .

215 215

10


1 2

UICKSTEPS SELECTING WIRELESS HARDWARE (Continued) or Express Card adapter by looking at the information

Connect To A Network or Set Up A Connection Or Network. You must first install a Windows 7 driver for the NIC. Since it was not automatically installed by Windows 7, you will need to get one before proceeding. If a driver did not come with the NIC (most likely on a CD), you need to use another computer attached to the Internet to locate and download it.

5.

On the other computer, bring up the manufacturer’s Web site, locate and download the Windows 7 driver (you need to know the make and model of the NIC), copy it onto a disc or a USB flash drive, and then go back to the original computer.

6.

Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click Hardware And Sound, and then, under Devices And Printers, click Device Manager. The Device Manager window opens.

5

4

3

that came with your computer).

4. If you do not have a Local Area Connection icon, you cannot create one by clicking

SELECT A WIRELESS ACCESS POINT Wireless access points come in simple versions that

6

plug into a wired Ethernet network, as well as more sophisticated versions, called “wireless broadband routers,” that terminate a DSL, FiOS (fiber optic), or cable

7. Double-click Network Adapters to display the network adapter in your computer. If you see your NIC and it doesn’t have a problem icon (an exclamation point), Windows thinks that the NIC is installed and running properly. If you double-click the device, you should see the device status, “This device is working properly.” If so, you may need to only install a new driver. Skip to step 14.

Internet connection. You have that choice and a choice of

7

speeds when you choose a wireless access point.

8. If you see your NIC with a problem icon, double-click the NIC. You will most likely see a device status message telling you that a driver was not installed. Skip to step 14.

8

9. If you don’t see your NIC in the Device Manager window, click the Action menu, and

10

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click Add Legacy Hardware. The Add Hardware Wizard will open. Click Next. Click Install The Hardware That I Manually Select From A List—you don’t want Windows to search for new hardware; if it was going to find it, it would have—and click Next.

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1

TIP that appears in the Network Connections window. For example, if you install two NIC cards, you can give each of them a descriptive name by right-clicking the icon and clicking Rename.

11. Click Have Disk. Click Browse, locate the appropriate drive, and click OK. When it is displayed, select the driver for your adapter, and click Next. When told that the device will be installed, click Next again.

12. You may see a message stating that the driver you are about to install does not have a Microsoft digital signature. Click Yes to go ahead and install it anyway. The driver and its necessary supporting software will be installed.

found it painless. The hard part is figuring out what type

13. Click Finish. The Network Connections window should now show the Local Area

of card you have, because often it is not written on the

Connection icon. If you see this icon, go to the section “Enable Windows 7’s Networking Functions.”

card. You may be able to see it in step 6 of “Check the NIC and Its Driver.” If not, you need to locate purchase with the card.

14. If you saw your NIC in the Device Manager window, with or without a problem icon, you can install or reinstall a driver from there. Place the disk with the driver software in the drive. Right-click your NIC and click Update Driver Software, as shown in Figure 9-6.

5

records or documentation—if you know which records go

4

I went through the process of downloading a driver and

adapters appears. If your NIC had been on the list, Windows Setup would have found it, so you need to insert and use the disk that you made prior to step 3 or the disk that came with the NIC.

3

TIP

10. Double-click Network Adapters in the Common Hardware Types list. A list of network

2

You can change the name, “Local Area Connection,”

15. Click Browse My Computer For Driver Software, click Browse, locate the drive and

6

folder with the driver, and click Next. You will be told when the driver is installed. Click Close to close the Update Driver Software dialog box.

If you still do not have a Local Area Connection icon, or if some other problem occurred in the preceding process that does not point to an obvious solution, continue through the next section to see if a solution is presented.

7

DETERMINE IF A NIC IS FUNCTIONING

8

If installing a NIC driver did not cause the Local Area Connection icon to appear, it is likely that the NIC itself is not functioning properly. The easiest way to test that is to replace the NIC with a known good one, ideally one that is both Windows 7–certified and Plug and Play–compatible. It is wise to have a spare NIC; they are not expensive ($25 and under), and switching out a suspected bad one can quickly solve many problems.

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1 2

Enable Windows 7’s Networking Functions

3

Windows 7’s networking functions provide the software for a computer to access other computers and, separately, for other computers to access the computer you are working on. In other words, the two primary functions allow the computer to be a client (it accesses other computers) and to be a server (other computers access it). Make sure that these two services are enabled by following these steps.


4

and then click Network And Sharing Center. The Network And Sharing Center window opens.

2. Click Local Area Connection in the middle-right area. The Local Area Connection

5

Status dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 9-7. In the particular case shown here, the computer indicates it is connected to the network and that it is sending and receiving information, which indicates it is correctly set up.

3. Click Properties. The Local Area Connection Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 9-8,

Figure 9-6: It is common to have to install device driver software for older hardware.

7

6

appears and displays the services and protocols that have been installed automatically. The minimum services needed for networking are Client For Microsoft Networks and File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks, plus one protocol, Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4). By default, Windows 7 installs an additional service and three additional protocols.

4. Click Install. The Select Network

8

NOTE

Feature Type dialog box appears, in which you can add clients, services, and protocols.

In this and the two following sections you can use the Have Disk button to install unique, non-Windows services

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for special purposes.

10

Figure 9-7: If your NIC is working correctly, you should see a lot of information being sent and received.

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1

INSTALL A CLIENT

2

1. Double-click Client. If you already have Client For Microsoft Networks installed, you will not have any services to install.

2. If Client For Microsoft Networks is not installed, select it and, in any case, click OK. INSTALL A SERVICE

File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks handles the sharing of resources on your computer.

•

QoS (Quality of Service) Packet Scheduler helps balance a network and alleviate bottlenecks when one part of the network is fast and another part is slow.

4

•

3

Windows 7 provides two services, both of which are automatically installed:

1. In the Select Network Feature Type dialog box, double-click Service. If you already have File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks and QoS Packet Scheduler installed, you will not have any services to install.

5

2. If File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks and QoS Packet Scheduler are not installed, select them and, in any case, click OK.

Windows 7’s default installation of Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) is done in preparation for a rapidly approaching future when TCP/IPv6 becomes

• •

Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), for use with the Internet and most LANs

•

Reliable Multicast Protocol, which is a special one-to-many protocol used in conferencing

greatly expanded address space, increased speed, and increased security.

Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6), the newest system for use with the widest variety of networks (many Internet service providers and the routers they provide for DSL and cable Internet service do not handle IPv6)

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10


8

the Internet and LAN standard. TCP/IPv6 provides for a

Networking protocols are a set of standards used to package and transmit information over a network. The protocol determines how the information is divided into packets, how it is addressed, and what is done to assure it is reliably transferred. The protocol is, therefore, very important to the success of networking, and its choice is a major one. Windows 7 offers three Internet protocols and two network-mapping protocols:

7

NOTE

Configure a Networking Protocol 6

Figure 9-8: Windows 7 automatically installs the networking services and protocols shown here.

1 2

NOTE In the Local Area Connection Status dialog box, you should see at least one protocol installed, as shown

3

previously in Figure 9-7. In most cases, both TCP/IPv4 and TCP/IPv6 should already be installed.

•

Link-Layer Topology Discovery Mapper I/O Driver that goes out and finds devices on the network

•

Link-Layer Topology Discovery Responder that responds when it is queried by a Discovery Mapper

All of these protocols, except Reliable Multicast Protocol, are installed by default. If the computer you are working on is or will be connected to the Internet, it will require TCP/IPv4. CHECK AND CHANGE PROTOCOLS

4

Check (and change if necessary) the protocols that have been installed and the settings that are being used.

1. In the Select Network Feature Type dialog box, double-click Protocol. The Select Network Protocol dialog box appears listing the available protocols.

5

2. If you see any protocol you want installed, double-click it. If you want to install another protocol, double-click it too. Otherwise, click Cancel twice to close the Select Network Protocol and Select Network Feature Type dialog boxes.

3. Select the Internet Protocol

6

TIP If the server is down or nonexistent, Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) assigns an IP address. APIPA

7

is limited insofar as a computer using it can talk only to other computers in the same range of numbers. If all computers in a small network are using Windows 98/Me, Windows 2000/XP, or Windows Vista/7 and have Obtain An IP Address Automatically selected, without a DHCP through 169.254.255.255 range of IP addresses.

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8

server, they will all automatically use the 169.254.0.0

Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) protocol in the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box, and click Properties. The Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box appears, shown in Figure 9-9. Here you can choose either to use a dynamic IP (Internet Protocol) address automatically assigned by a server or DSL router, or to enter a static IP address in this dialog box.

10

Figure 9-9: If you use dynamic IP addresses that are automatically assigned, you don’t have to worry about having two devices or computers with the same IP address.

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1

If your organization doesn’t plan to directly access an between your network and the Internet, the static IP address can be from the block of APIPA numbers or from several other blocks of private IP addresses. (See the

1. If you are working on a computer that you know must have a static IP address, click Use The Following IP Address and enter an IP address. The IP address that you use should be from the block of IP addresses that an ISP or other authority has assigned to your organization.

2. If you entered a static IP address, you must also enter a subnet mask. This mask tells the IP which part of an IP address to consider a network address and which part to consider a computer, or host, address. If your organization was assigned a block of IP addresses, it was also given a subnet mask. If you used the APIPA range of addresses, use 255.255.0.0 as the subnet mask.

4

“Getting a Block of IP Addresses” QuickSteps.)

ENTER YOUR OWN IP ADDRESS

3

outside network like the Internet or you have a router

2

TIP

If you have a server or a DSL router that automatically assigns IP addresses, you need to leave the Obtain An IP Address Automatically option selected (it is selected by default).

5

OBTAIN AN IP ADDRESS AUTOMATICALLY

1. If you don’t have a specific reason to use a static IP address, click Obtain An IP Address Automatically, and use the addresses from either a server or DSL router on the network or APIPA.

6

2. Click OK to close the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties dialog box, click Close to close the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box, click Close to close the Local Area Connection Status dialog box, and close all open dialog boxes and windows. utilize your network settings.

7

3. Click Start, click the Shut Down right arrow, and click Restart. This is required to VERIFY YOUR CONNECTION

1. When the computer restarts, reopen the Local Area Connection Status dialog box

Programs And Files text box, enter a computer name in your same subnet in the form \\computername\, and press ENTER. Windows Explorer will open and you should see the drives on the computer you entered, as shown in Figure 9-10. If you see this, the

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99

2. If you do not see both sending and receiving activity, click Start, click in the Search Figure 9-10: When networking is functioning properly, you’ll be able to see shared resources on other computers in your network.

8

(click Start and click Control Panel; in Category view, click Network And Internet and then click Network And Sharing Center). Click Local Area Connection in the middle-right area to open the Local Area Connection Status dialog box. You should see activity on both the Sent and Received sides.

1 2

UICKSTEPS

computer is networked. If this doesn’t work, you need to double-check all the possible settings previously described:

GETTING A BLOCK OF IP ADDRESSES

• If you are using APIPA, make sure that the computer you are trying to contact is also using that range of numbers, either as a static assigned address or with automatic assignment.

The block of IP addresses you use with the Internet

3

Protocol depends on whether the computers to be

• If all the settings are correct, check the cabling by making a simple connection of

assigned the addresses will be private or public.

just several computers.

GET PRIVATE IP ADDRESSES

• If you do a direct connection between two computers, remember that you need a

If the computers will be operating only on an internal

special crossover cable with the transmitting and receiving wires reversed.

4

network, where they are separated from the public

• If all else fails, replace the NIC. • It could also be that network security is getting in your way of seeing the drives

network by a router or bridge, they are private and need only organizational uniqueness. Four blocks of

and resources on the other computer. See “Review Network Security” later in this chapter.

IP addresses have been set aside and can be used by any organization for its private, internal needs without

5

any coordination with any other organization, but these blocks should not be used for directly connecting to the Internet. These private-use blocks of IP addresses are:

• 10.0.0.0 through 10.255.255.255 • 169.254.0.0 through 169.254.255.255 (the APIPA

6

range)

• 172.16.0.0 through 172.31.255.255 • 192.168.0.0 through 192.168.255.255

With a good NIC, good cabling, the correct settings, and network security properly handled, you’ll be able to network.

Test a Network Setup and Connection You can use several command-line utilities to test a TCP/IP installation. The more useful of these commands are the following:

•

Ipconfig is used to determine if a network configuration has been initialized and if an IP address is assigned. If an IP address and valid subnet mask are returned, the configuration is initialized and there are no duplicates for the IP address. If a subnet mask of 0.0.0.0 is returned, the IP address is a duplicate.

• •

Hostname is used to determine the computer name of the local computer.

7

GET PUBLIC IP ADDRESSES If your computer(s) will be interfacing directly with the Internet, they are public and thus need a globally unique IP number. If you want a block of public IP addresses,

8

you must request it from one of several organizations, depending on the size of the block that you want. At the local level, for a moderate-sized block of IP addresses, your local ISP can assign it to you. For a larger block, a regional ISP may be able to handle the request.

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Continued . . .

Ping is used to query either the local computer or another computer on the network to see whether it responds. If the local computer responds, you know that TCP/IP is bound to the local NIC and that both are operating correctly. If the other computer responds, you know that TCP/IP and the NICs in both computers are operating correctly and that the connection between the computers is operable. Figure 9-11 shows the testing results on my system.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and click Command Prompt. The

10

Command Prompt window opens.

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1

UICKSTEPS 2

GETTING A BLOCK OF IP ADDRESSES (Continued) If not, you have to go to one of three regional Internet registries:

3

• American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN), at www.arin.net, which covers North and South America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa

• Réseaux IP Européens (RIPE), at www.ripe.net,

4

which covers Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa

• Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), at www.apnic.net, which covers Asia and the Pacific

5

CAUTION 6

Remember that private ranges work only with other computers in their own subnets and with IP addresses from the same range. You can tell what the subnet is from the subnet mask. For example, with a subnet mask of

7

255.255.255.0, all computers in the network must have

Figure 9-11: You can test a network with TCP/IP utilities such as Ipconfig, Hostname, and Ping.

IP addresses with the same first three groups of numbers and vary only in the last group. Thus, computers with the numbers 192.168.104.001 and 192.168.104.002 are in the same subnet.

2. Type ipconfig and press ENTER. The IP address and subnet mask of the current

8

computer should be returned. If this did not happen, there is a problem with the current configuration.

3. Type hostname and press ENTER. The computer name of the local computer should be returned.

4. Type ping, type the name of another computer on your network, and press ENTER. You

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should get four replies from the other computer.

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1 2

NOTE The 127.0.0.1 IP address is a special address set aside to refer to the computer on which it is entered.

5. If Ping did not work with a remote computer, try it on the current computer by typing ping 127.0.0.1 and pressing ENTER. Again, you should get four replies, this time from the current computer. If you didn’t get a reply here, you have a problem with either the network setup or the NIC. If you did get a reply here, but not in step 4, then there is a problem either in the other computer or in the cable and devices connecting them.

3

6. Type exit and press ENTER to close the Command Prompt window.

4

If you do find a problem here, go on to the next section on network security, and then review earlier sections on setting up network hardware, functions, and protocols to isolate and fix the problem.

Review Network Security

7

6

5

Chapter 8 discusses network security in depth. This section provides a brief synopsis of the specific steps you need to take to share your computer across a LAN so that other computers similarly set up can see your computer and access the drives, folders, and printers. You will be able to see and access other computers that do the same thing. The steps to take in the appropriate order are described next. The specific steps to open the required windows and dialog boxes, as well as the specific settings to use, were provided in Chapter 8.

8

1.

10

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Figure 9-12: Decide if the network you use is private or public.

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When you complete the installation of Windows 7, or the first time you turn on a new computer with Windows 7 already installed, you are asked if the network you want to be a part of will be at home, at work, or in some public location, as shown in Figure 9-12. Both Home and Work are considered private locations where you want your computer to be seen and shared. You can change this later on (see step 2).

1

2. If you want to share your computer’s resources, such as files, folders,

2

disk drives, and printers, you need to turn on that capability (it is turned off by default in a Work and Public network, but partially turned on in a homegroup Home network). This is done in the Advanced Sharing Settings window, shown in Figure 9-13, for both the private and public aspects of this computer.

3

3. To share individual drives, folders, and printers, you must turn on

4

that capability for the most senior drive or folder you want to share (also known as the parent). Subsidiary folders and the files within those folders will inherit the sharing aspect of the parent unless you individually change that sharing. Only in a homegroup can you share the full C: (or system) drive. Sharing a drive, folder, or printer is done through the object’s Properties dialog box, shown in Figure 9-14.

5 6 7

Figure 9-13: Turn on the sharing of your computer.

8

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Figure 9-14: Share the specific objects you want others to be able to use.

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1 2

4. Finally, you must set up the Windows Firewall to allow the network and its sharing

7

6

5

4

3

aspects to come through even though you have Windows Firewall turned on (which is highly recommended). Setting up the firewall to allow networking is done in the Windows Firewall Allowed Programs window, shown in Figure 9-15.

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8

Figure 9-15: Make sure Windows Firewall allows networking.

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1

How to… •

Permanently Connect to a Network Resource

•

Connect Outside Your Workgroup Or Domain Using Network Addresses Copy Network Files and Information

•

Print on Network Printers Finding or Adding a Network Printer

Let Others Access Your Resources

•

Share Files and Folders

•

Set Up a Remote Desktop Connection

•

Connect to a Remote Desktop over a LAN

•

Use a Remote Desktop Connection Set Up a Wireless Connection

•

Manage Wireless Network Sharing

•

9

Implementing Windows Defender

8

•

In this chapter you’ll see how to access other computers and printers over a local area network (LAN), how to let others access your computer and resources, and how to access your computer remotely—across a LAN, through a telephone connection, or over the Internet.

7

•

Networking brings a vastly enlarged world of computing to you, giving you access to all the computers, printers, and other devices to which you are connected and have permission to access. Using a network and its resources is no more difficult than accessing the hard disk or printer that is directly connected to your computer. Your network connection can be either wired or wireless, and you’ll notice no difference, except for the hardware and the possibility that wireless is slower.

6

Access a Network Internet Connection

Using Networking

5

•

Chapter 10

4

•

3

Explore a Network

2

•

Use a Wireless Network

Using Networking

227

10 10


1 2

NOTE This chapter assumes that you have networking operating on your computer, as discussed in Chapter 9, and that you and others on your network have set up sharing and security parameters such that networking

Begin by looking at the network available to you through your computer. Then access a disk and retrieve files and folders from another computer, use a network printer, and access the Internet over the network.

3

can take place, as described in Chapters 8 and 9.

Access Network Resources

Explore a Network 4

NOTE In many of the steps in this chapter, you will be interrupted and asked by User Account Control (UAC) for permission to continue. So long as it is something you started, you want to click Continue or enter an

5

administrator’s password. To keep the steps as simple as possible, I have left out the UAC instructions. Chapter 8

6

discusses UAC in more detail.

Whether you have just installed a small home network or have just plugged into a large company network, the first thing you’ll probably want to do is explore it—see what you can see. You can do that from Windows Explorer.

1. Click Start, click Computer, scroll down the navigation pane, and click Network to open it. The network resources will be displayed, as you see in Figure 10-1.

2. Double-click one of the shared computers on your network. It will open and display the drives, printers, and other resources (such as tape drives and removable disks) on that computer.

TIP Clicking the media-sharing icons opens your Windows network computer.

9

8

7

Media Player and displays the shared media on the

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Figure 10-1: Opening your network displays the computers that are shared, as well as media being shared (the top two and fourth icons are used to share media).

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Windows 7 QuickSteps Using Networking PC QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC

1

NOTE homegroup and has password-protected sharing enabled, which is done in its Network And Sharing Center, you will need to enter a user name and password to access that computer.

3. In the navigation pane, click the triangle next to one of the drives to open it, and then

2

If the computer you are trying to access is not in a

click one or more of the folders to see the files available to you (see Figure 10-2).

4. Click Back one or more times, and then open other computers, drives, and folders to more fully explore your network.

5. Click Close to close Windows Explorer.

3

Permanently Connect to a Network Resource

TIP appear when you open your network are the result of your computer having searched your workgroup or domain for shared resources. When you first set up been shared by other computers and your computer has had time to find them.

CONNECT TO A MAPPED NETWORK DRIVE

5

networking, you won’t see anything until resources have

4

The shared folders, disks, and other resources that

If you use a specific network drive or folder a lot, you may want to connect to it permanently so that you can use it as if it were a drive on your computer. This permanent connection is called a “mapped network drive.” Note that it is only “permanent” until you decide to disconnect from the drive. See “Disconnect a Mapped Drive” later in this chapter.

To set up a mapped network drive:

1. Click Start, click Computer, scroll down the navigation pane, and click Network to open it. The network resources will be displayed, as you saw in Figure 10-1.

Map Network Drive (see Figure 10-3). The Map Network Drive dialog box will appear.

7

2. Right-click the drive in the subject pane, and click

6

In the navigation pane, click the triangle opposite Network, and click the computer that contains the drive you want to connect to permanently. You should see the drive in the subject pane.

3. Select the drive letter you want to use for the

8 9

mapped drive or the specific folder, if that is applicable, choose whether you want to reconnect to the drive every time you log on to your computer, and whether you need to use different credentials— whether you want to log on to that resource using a different user name and password.

4. Click Finish. The drive will open in a separate window. Close that window.

7 QuickSteps Using Networking PCWindows QuickSteps Getting to Know Your PC

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Figure 10-2: If the computers on your network have been shared, you should be able to see the folders, files, and other resources that are available to you.

1 2

5. In the navigation pane of the original Windows Explorer window, click the triangle to the left of Network to close it. Then, if it isn’t already displayed, click Computer to open that view. Both in the navigation pane and in the subject pane, you should see the new network drive, as shown in Figure 10-4.

3

6. Close Windows Explorer. DISCONNECT A MAPPED DRIVE

1. Click Start, click Computer, and, if needed, scroll down the navigation pane so you can see your mapped drive(s).

4

2. In the navigation pane, right-click the mapped network drive, and click Disconnect. The drive will disappear from the navigation and subject panes.

5

Connect Outside Your Workgroup or Domain

6

Figure 10-3: Mapping a network drive gives you a permanent connection to that device.

If you want to connect to another computer or network resource outside of your workgroup or domain, you will not see that

NOTE 7

If you get an error message saying you have files open on the mapped drive and that you may lose data if you don’t close the files before disconnecting, check if you do have files open, and if so, close them. Then once you are

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9

8

sure nothing is open, click Yes to disconnect.

Figure 10-4: You have the same access to a mapped network drive across a network as you do to any drive on your computer. 230 230


1

NOTE created. If that hasn’t been done, return to Chapter 9 and follow the instructions there.

computer or resource when you open Network view. You must use a different procedure to connect to it.

2

In order to connect to a network, one has to first be

1. Click Start and click Computer. Scroll down and click Network. The Network window opens, as you saw in Figure 10-1.

2. Click Network And Sharing Center on the toolbar. The Network And Sharing Center

3

UICKSTEPS

window will open.

3. Click Connect To A Network. A list of the networks you can connect to is displayed. USING NETWORK ADDRESSES Network addressing uses the Uniform Naming resources on any computer on the network.

4. If requested, enter a user name and a password, and click OK. Given the appropriate

4

Convention, or UNC, to identify files, folders, and other

Click the network you want, and click Connect. permissions, you’ll see and be able to open the computers in the other network.

5. Close the Network And Sharing Center and Windows Explorer.

IDENTIFYING A NETWORK RESOURCE A network resource, which is a folder or disk on a

\\computername\drivename:\pathname\folder name For example, on a computer named “Marty2,” a folder named “2010 Budgets” on the D: drive in the Budgeting

\\Marty2\D:\Budgeting\2010 Budgets IDENTIFYING A NETWORK PRINTER Identifying a network printer is similar to identifying any

\\computername\printername For example, a printer named HP4500 on Server 1 would have the UNC of:

click the triangle opposite Network to open it. Then open the computer, drive, and folder(s) in order to see the files that you want to copy in the subject pane.

2. In the navigation pane on your local computer, click the triangle opposite the drive and, if needed, open the folder to display the folder you want to hold the information from the network.

3. In the subject pane, click the first file or folder you want to copy, and then hold down CTRL, clicking the remaining files and/or folders you want. When all are selected, drag

them to the folder in the navigation pane in which you want them, as you can see in Figure 10-5.

4. Close Windows Explorer.

8

\\Server1\HP4500.

1. Click Start and click Computer. If needed, scroll through the navigation pane, and

7

other network resource. It takes the form of:

Once you have opened a network resource, it is easy to copy information from the resource to your local hard disk.

6

folder would have the full network address of:

Copy Network Files and Information 5

computer on the network, is identified by:

Print on Network Printers

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9

Like using other network resources, using a network printer is not much different from using a local printer. To locate a network printer, see the “Finding or Adding a Network Printer” QuickSteps.

1 2

UICKSTEPS FINDING OR ADDING A NETWORK PRINTER There are two ways to find a network printer: by using

3

Find Printer in the Print dialog boxes of some programs and by using Add A Printer in the Printers And Faxes dialog box. USE FIND PRINTER

4

Recent versions of Microsoft Office products and other applications have included a Find Printer button to search for and locate network printers. This is the same as the printer search capability, which uses the Windows domain’s Active Directory service. To use this, you must

5

be in a domain and not in a workgroup.

1. In an Office 2007 application, click the Office Button, click Print, and click Find Printer. If your network is not part of an Active Directory domain, you will get a message to that effect.

6

Otherwise, the Find Printers dialog box will appear Figure 10-5: You can locate and copy files and folders across the network.

and begin a search for a printer.

2. A list of printers will be displayed. When you have located the printer you want, right-click that printer

To use a network printer that has been previously found, either automatically or manually—from Microsoft Word 2007, for example:

7

and click Connect.

3. Close the Search Results window. USE ADD A PRINTER Add A Printer is the most common way to locate a

8

network printer, and is available to both workgroup and

1. Click the Office Button, and click Print to open the Print dialog box. 2. Under Printer, click the Name down arrow, and choose the network printer you want to use.

domain users.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and, in Category view, click View Devices And Printers under Hardware And Sound. The Devices And Printers

9

window opens. Continued . . .

3. Make any needed adjustments to the printer settings, and click OK to complete the

10 10

printing.

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1

UICKSTEPS 2

FINDING OR ADDING A NETWORK PRINTER (Continued) 2. Click Add A Printer. Click Add A Network, Wireless, Or Bluetooth Printer. A list of printers

3

will be presented to you (see Figure 10-6). Select one and click Next.

3. If you don’t see a list of printers, click The Printer That I Want Isn’t Listed. Click Select A Shared Printer By Name, click Browse, double-click the

4

computer that has the printer you want, and then double-click the printer. You should see the printer you want in the Add Printer dialog box, as shown in Figure 10-7.

5

4. Click Next. A permanent connection will be made to the printer. Click Install Driver if you are asked to do so. Click Next.

5. If desired, click the Set As The Default Printer

Figure 10-6: The automatic search for a printer may not find the printer you are looking for if you are not on an Active Directory domain.

6

check box. Click Print A Test Page. When a test page prints, click Close and then click Finish. If a test page does not print, click Get Help With Printing, and follow the suggestions.

6. Close Control Panel.

7

TIP 8

You can copy information among any computers on the network, not just from a network computer to your local computer, if you have the necessary permissions.

9


233 233

10 10

Figure 10-7: If you know of a network computer to which a printer has been attached and it has been shared, you can connect to it easily.

1 2

NOTE By default, Windows 7 does not share its resources, except to a limited extent in a homegroup, and further protects them with a strong firewall. To share resources, you must set up file and folder sharing and enable the described in Chapters 8 and 9.

NOTE

4

3

appropriate exceptions in the Windows Firewall, as

You cannot share the primary disk drive, normally labeled

5

“C:,” on a computer running Windows 7 unless it is part of a homegroup.

Access a Network Internet Connection If the network you are on has an Internet connection, you are automatically connected to it and can use it directly, unless it requires a user name and password. In most instances, you simply have to open your browser (click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar) or your email program (click Start, click All Programs, click Windows Live, and click Windows Live Mail), and you are on and using the Internet. See Chapter 4 for more information.

Let Others Access Your Resources The other side of the networking equation is sharing the resources on your computer to allow others to use them. This includes sharing your files, folders, and disks, as well as sharing your printers. The mechanics of setting up your computer to share its resources is discussed in depth in Chapters 8 and 9 (in particular, see Chapter 8). Here we’ll look at how that is used once it is turned on.

6

Share Files and Folders

7

You can share files and folders by putting them into a shared folder. By default, your computer has a series of folders within Libraries that can be shared; however, the folders aren’t shared by default unless you are in a homegroup. You can also create more shared folders (see Chapters 8 and 9).

1. Click Start, click Computer, and open the disk and

8

folder(s) needed to locate and display the files and/or folders you want to share in the subject pane.

2. In the navigation pane, click the triangle opposite Libraries, Documents, Public Documents to display the public folders.

9

3. Drag the files and/or folders you want to share from the subject pane to one of the Libraries folders in the navigation pane, as shown in Figure 10-8.

10 10

Figure 10-8: You can share a file by putting it into one of the public Libraries folders. 234 234


4. Close Windows Explorer.

1

NOTE the user who will be accessing it with the appropriate permissions (see Chapter 8).

Windows 7 allows you to work remotely from another computer—for example, from a remote computer (like your laptop) to a computer or server in your office—using Windows 7’s Remote Desktop Connection. The objective is to transfer information and utilize resources from a distance using a LAN connection. Using Remote Desktop Connection requires both a Remote Desktop host and a Remote Desktop client.

3

NOTE

Work Remotely

2

To share a folder effectively, you may need to provide

Only Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions can be a Remote Desktop host. All versions Windows Vista, Windows XP, and older versions of Windows with Windows XP Client installed.

Set Up a Remote Desktop Connection

4

of Windows 7 can be a Remote Desktop client, as can

6

SET UP REMOTE DESKTOP ACCOUNTS

5

Remote Desktop Connection enables you to literally take control of another computer and do everything on it as if you were sitting in front of that computer. Remote Desktop Connection is run over a LAN, where the computer you are sitting at is the client and the computer you are accessing is the host. To set up the host, you must first establish user accounts and then enable a LANbased host.

7

To use Remote Desktop Connection, the host must have user accounts established for that purpose and the user accounts must have a password. Therefore, the first step in setting up the account is to set up one or more such accounts on the host.

1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click User Accounts And Family Safety, and then click User Accounts.

2. Click Manage Another Account, click Create A New Account, enter the name for

8

the account (this example uses “Remote”), select the type of account you want, and click Create Account.

3. Click the new account, click Create A Password, enter the password, press TAB, type


9

the password again, press TAB twice, enter a hint if you wish (anyone can see the hint), and click Create Password. Close the Change An Account window. scroll to the bottom, and click Administrative Tools.

235 235

10 10


1 2

5. In the subject pane, double-click Computer Management.

3

In the Computer Management window that opens, in the left column, if it isn’t already open, click the triangle opposite System Tools to open it, click the triangle opposite Local Users And Groups to open it, and click Users. In the list of users in the subject pane, shown in Figure 10-9, double-click the new user you just created.

6. In the user’s Properties dialog box that appears, click the

Figure 10-9: User accounts must be members of the Remote Desktop Users group in order to use Remote Desktop SET UP A LAN-BASED HOST Connection.

Set up the host for using Remote Desktop Connection within a LAN.

6

5

4

Member Of tab, and click Add. In the Select Groups dialog box, click Advanced and then click Find Now to search for groups. Click Remote Desktop Users, click OK three times, and close the Computer Management, Administrative Tools, and Control Panel windows.

NOTE The process in “Set Up a LAN-Based Host” adds users

7

from the host computer to the Remote Desktop Users group. If you are part of a domain and want to add users from other

8

computers, you need to enter them in the Enter The Object Names To Select field in the form computername\

10 10

9

username.

236 236


1. Click Start and click Control Panel. In Category view, click System And Security, and then click System. Click Remote Settings on the left. The System Properties dialog box will appear with the Remote tab displayed.

2. In the bottom Remote Desktop panel, click Allow Connections From Computers Running Any Version Of Remote Desktop, as shown in Figure 10-10.

3. Click Select Users. Users that you added to the Remote Desktop Users group are displayed.

4. If you want to add more users, click Add, click Advanced, and click Find Now. Select the users you want to include by holding down CTRL while clicking them, and then click OK four times to close all open dialog boxes. Close Control Panel.

1

SET UP A REMOTE DESKTOP CLIENT

2 3

The Remote Desktop Connection client is probably already installed on the computer you will be using for the client, since it is part of the default Windows 7 installation. Verify this, and, if it is not installed, do so. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and click Remote Desktop Connection.

4

If you see the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box, you need to do nothing further here. If you do not see Remote Desktop Connection, you’ll need to reinstall Windows 7.

When you are sitting at the client computer connected to a LAN, to which the host is also connected, you can connect to the Remote Desktop host.

6

Figure 10-10: Remote Desktop Connection is not turned on by default.

5

Connect to a Remote Desktop over a LAN

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and click Remote Desktop Connection. The Remote Desktop Connection dialog box appears.

2. Enter the name or IP address of the computer to which you want to connect in the

7

form \\computer name.

3. After you have entered the computer name, click Connect. The Windows Security dialog box appears. If asked, enter the user name and password for the Remote Desktop host computer (this was the “Remote” user you created earlier), and click OK.

9

If you get a message that the remote computer does not have a security certificate from a trusted certifying authority, click Yes to go ahead and connect. (You may have created your own certificate in Chapter 8.)

8

If you see a message that someone is currently logged on to the remote host, decide if you can disconnect them, and click the appropriate choice. (See “Use a Remote Desktop Connection.”)

The Remote Desktop toolbar appears in the top center of the screen with the name of the computer that is hosting you. 237 237

10 10


1 6

5

4

3

2

Use a Remote Desktop Connection

Figure 10-11: When the remote desktop is reduced from full-screen size, the Remote Desktop toolbar, the Connection Bar, disappears.

8

7

Remote Desktop Connection also gives you the ability to transfer information between the host computer and the client computer you are using. This means that you can:

9

10 10

Once you are connected to the host computer, you can perform almost any action that you could if you were sitting in front of that computer—you can run programs, access data, and more. In addition, the Remote Desktop toolbar, called the Connection Bar, allows you to close the Remote Desktop window without logging out so that your programs will keep running, to minimize the window so that you can see the computer you are sitting at (see Figure 10-11), and to maximize the window. In addition, there is a pushpin icon that determines whether the Connection Bar is always on the desktop or if it is only there when you move the mouse to the upper-center portion of the screen.

• •

Print to a local printer connected to the client (this is enabled by default)

•

Cut and paste between both computers and documents on either one (this is enabled by default)

Work with files on both the remote host and the client computers in the same window (this is not enabled by default)

The local client resources that are available in a Remote Desktop session are controlled by the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box options.

238 238


1

TIP might want to lower the screen size and colors.

1. From the Remote Desktop, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, and click Remote Desktop Connection. The Remote Desktop Connection dialog box appears. Click Options, and the box expands to give you a number of controls for Remote Desktop.

2

If your LAN has particularly heavy traffic and is slow, you

2. Click the Display tab. The default for a LAN is to use Full Screen mode and up to the

3

maximum color level your computer can use, as well as to display the Connection Bar.

3. Click the Local Resources tab. As you can see in Figure 10-12, you can determine your audio settings, which include bringing sound to the client, and if you want the ability to use shortcut keys. Also:

4

• If you want to print on the printer attached to the local client, keep the default Printers selection.

• If you want to transfer information using the Cut and Paste commands between the two computers, the Clipboard should be selected. click Drives to select them all; or click the plus sign (+) next to Drives, and select individual drives.

5

• If you want to transfer information by dragging between disk drives, click More and • If you intend to use a Plug And Play device on the local client, click that option. 4. If you want to start a program when you open the Remote Desktop Connection, click

6

the Programs tab, click the relevant check box, and enter the path and filename of the program and the starting folder to use.

5. Click the Experience tab, and select the connection speed you are using. This will determine which of the items below the drop-down list box are selected. You can change the individual items if you want.

7

Figure 10-12: You can control what client devices are available with Remote Desktop.

6. Click the Advanced tab. Look at the choices for authentication, and select the one that is correct for you. If you have to go through a Remote Desktop (RD) Gateway (generally in larger organizations), click Settings, select the option that is correct for you, type any needed information, and click OK.

8

7. Click the General tab. If you will use several settings, save the ones you just made by clicking Save As, entering a name, and clicking Save.

8. If you are not already connected, enter your password and click Connect. Otherwise, close the Remote Desktop Connection dialog box.

9

239 239

10 10


1 2

9. When you are done using Remote Desktop, you may leave it in any of three ways:

• Click Close on the Connection Bar. This leaves you logged on, and any programs you have will remain running. If you restart Remote Desktop Connection with the host computer and no one else has logged on locally, you will return to the same session you left.

3

• Click Start and click Log Off. This terminates your Remote Desktop session and all programs are stopped. If you restart Remote Desktop Connection with the host computer and no one else has logged on locally, you will begin a new session.

• Click Start, click the Shut Down right arrow, and click Disconnect. This is the 4

same as clicking the Close button on the Connection Bar.

5

NOTE The effective range of a wireless access point is highly dependent on which protocol (802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n) you are using (“n” is better than “b” or “g”), the

6

types of walls you have to go through (wood and plaster are better than concrete or metal), and on your device— see http://reviews.cnet.com and search on “wireless

7

access points.”

Set Up and Use a Wireless Network Wireless networks have become a popular way to create small networks in homes and small businesses for the simple reason that you don’t have to run cables everywhere. With a wireless access point connected to the Internet, any wireless-enabled computer within approximately 150 feet (46 m) of the access point indoors can connect to the Internet and communicate with any other network-connected or wireless-enabled computer. If the access point is also connected to a wired network, all the members of the wired network are available to the wireless computers. Chapter 9 talked about the hardware requirements needed to do this. Here we will talk about what is needed to set up and use a wireless network in Windows 7 and make it secure.

Set Up a Wireless Connection

10 10

9

8

The first task is to make a connection with a wireless access point and then set it up so its use is secure. If you have a recent computer with wireless capability that is turned on (there may be a small switch on your computer to do that) and are near a wireless access point, your computer may automatically connect. If you click on the network connection in the notification area, you will get a message you are connected. In any case, continue from here to set up and secure the connection.

240 240


1


2

and then click Network And Sharing Center. If you are already connected, you will see your connection both graphically and textually, as shown in Figure 10-13. Skip to step 6.

2. If you don’t see a wireless connection already established, click Set Up A Connection

3

Or Network. Click Set Up A New Network, and click Next. Your system will search for a wireless adapter in your computer and then for a wireless access point.

3. When a wireless network is found, you are asked to name your network. Type a name and click Next. Type a “passphrase” or password of at least eight characters, and click Next.

4

4. Choose the file and printer sharing option you want, or keep your current settings, and click Next.

5. Insert a USB flash drive on which you can save your settings, and click Next. This

5

drive can be used to transfer these settings to other computers and wireless devices. Click Close.

6 7 8 9


241 241

10 10

Figure 10-13: You want the connection between your computer and a wireless access point to be secure so that someone within range of your access point cannot use it.

1 2

6. In the Network And Sharing Center window (as in Figure 10-13), look at the type of wireless network you have—Private or Public—and determine the type your situation requires. If you need to change the type, click Customize, click the type you want, change the icon if desired, click Next, and click Close.

3

Manage Wireless Network Sharing When you use a wireless connection, you most likely do not want other network users to access your computer. That is the default setting, but check and make sure that is the way your connection is set up.

4

1. From the Network And Sharing Center, click Change Adapter Settings in the Tasks

6

5

list. The Network Connections window opens, displaying the connections available on the computer.

2. Double-click Wireless Network Connection to open the Wireless Network Connection Status dialog box, shown in Figure 10-14.

9

8

7

3. Click Properties, click the

10 10

Figure 10-14: A wireless network is particularly susceptible to intrusion and needs to be protected.

242 242


Sharing tab, and look at your connection-sharing settings. In most circumstances where you are using a public WiFi hotspot, you want these check boxes not selected, which is the default in a public network. In a home network, the setup shown here is the default. The primary instance in which you would want this enabled would be in a secure organizational setting.

1

UICKSTEPS

4. When you have assured yourself that the settings are the way you want them, click

Windows Defender guards your computer against spyware and other unwanted programs. It watches what that are trying to install themselves or change important Windows settings, both without your approval. Windows Defender does this on a real-time basis, as well as letting you manually start a scan of your computer. It uses a tracks, with the user’s approval, what programs people think might be dangerous.

Once you have a wireless network up and running the way you want, you can use it in the same way you use a wired network.

1. Click the Internet Explorer icon on the taskbar to open Internet Explorer, and explore the Internet in the same way you would with a wired network, as shown in Figure 10-15.

2. Close Internet Explorer and open your email program, which you can use in the same

4

Microsoft database called the SpyNet Community that

Use a Wireless Network 3

is happening on your computer and looks for programs

2

OK, click Close in the Status dialog box, and close the Network Connections window.

IMPLEMENTING WINDOWS DEFENDER

way as with a wired network connection.

3. Close your mail program, and try any other networking program you use.

REVIEW WINDOWS DEFENDER SETTINGS

5

By default, Windows Defender is running on your computer and you must take some action to turn it off, if that is what you want, although this is not recommended. To open, review, and possibly change the Windows Defender setting:

6

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click the Category down arrow, click Large Icons, scroll to the bottom, and click Windows Defender. Windows Defender appears.

7

2. Click Tools on the toolbar, and click Options to display the many settings you can change to have Defender run the way you want, as shown in Figure 10-16.

8

3. Click each of the options on the left, and for each, scroll through the settings and make any changes that meet your needs.

4. When you have finished, click Save to return to the Tools And Settings window and check out the

9

other options there. Continued . . .

Figure 10-15: You can use a wireless network connection in the same way you used a wired one.

243 243

10 10


1 2

UICKSTEPS IMPLEMENTING WINDOWS DEFENDER (Continued) DO A MANUAL SCAN

3

If you suspect that software you don’t want has gotten on your computer, you can run a manual scan to see what Windows Defender finds.

1. While in Windows Defender, click Scan on the toolbar. The scanning will immediately start. When

4

it completes, you will be told what was found and given the scan statistics, as shown in Figure 10-17.

2. When you have finished, click Close and close

5

the Control Panel.

6

CAUTION

Figure 10-16: Windows Defender provides some protection against spyware and unwanted programs.

Windows Defender is not designed or recommended as a replacement for antivirus software. It is meant solely to get rid of spyware and unwanted programs. You should rid of spyware.

10 10

9

8

7

also have an antivirus program, most of which also get

Figure 10-17: Windows Defender can do a quick manual scan anytime you want it. 244 244


Index Numbers 10/100/1000BaseT Ethernet, 210 802.11* wireless standards, 211 10.0.0.0 IP address, 222 127.0.0.1 IP address, 224 169.254.0.0 IP address, 220 172.16.0.0 IP address, 222 192.168.0.0 IP address, 222

Symbols ! (exclamation) point in shield, 18 “ (quotation marks), using with search criteria, 76

APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Centre), 223 application icons, using jump lists with, 16 applications. See programs; software archiving attribute, 61 ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers), 223 Attach, using with email, 94 audio. See also Media Player playing, 85 mixing in movies, 176 automatic programs, controlling, 112. See also programs Automatic Updates, 115–116 AutoPlay dialog box, displaying, 139

A A: drive, 51 access point, using with WLANs, 212 accessory programs. See also programs Calculator, 114 Character Map, 114–115 Notepad, 115 Paint, 115 account picture, changing, 33 accounts. See user accounts Action Center, using, 5, 117 adapter, using with WLANs, 212 address bar described, 9, 47 location of, 9, 46 using for navigation, 54 administrator, logging on as, 182–183 Aero Peek feature, using, 14–15, 35 Aero Shake feature, using, 15 Aero Snaps feature, using, 15–16 All Programs menu, starting programs on, 8 ALT key. See keyboard shortcuts APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing), 220

B Back button function of, 47 location of, 46 using on Internet, 75 backed up encryption key, using, 204 background picture, selecting, 25 backing up file encryption key, 203–204 files and folders, 62–64 Bcc text box, using with email, 88 biometric devices, using, 188 bits, defined, 68 broadband connection, setting up, 72 browser navigation, using, 75 browsers choosing in UK and Europe, 72 starting, 74 Burn choosing in Media Player, 161 choosing in Movie Maker, 178 Burn List, correcting, 168

burning files to disc, 65–66 music to CDs, 167–168

C C: drive avoiding indexing of, 113 disk associated with, 51 opening, 52 Calculator accessory program, 114 calendar in Windows Live Mail adding events to, 95 opening, 94 camcorder, importing video from, 171–172 camera images, importing, 138–139 cameras, installing, 134–137 card games, playing, 19–21 Category view, 40 Cc text box, using with email, 88 CD drive, label for, 51 CDs burning music to, 167–168 copying, 164–165 copyright concerns, 165 installing software from, 122 playing, 160–161 ripping, 164–165 viewing copying process, 164–165 writing files and folders to, 64–66 cell phone wireless connection, 70–71 Change permission, setting, 199 Character Map accessory program, 114–115 check box, example of, 12 children, setting Parental Controls for, 189–190 classic menus, turning on, 11 ClearType, adjusting, 28 “click Start,” explained, 6

245

Windows XP Information245 Windows 7 QuickSteps QuickSteps Storing Index

clients installing, 219 for Remote Desktop, 237 client/server LANs, 209–210 clock, adjusting, 37 Close button described, 10 location of, 9, 12 using to stop programs, 109 color scheme, changing, 26 Command buttons, examples of, 12 Command Prompt window closing, 224 opening, 112, 222 communications setup broadband connection, 72 dial-up connection, 71–72 modem installation, 69–70 Compatibility view, 76 compressing versus zipping files, 61 compression attribute, 61 Computer, opening folder structure in, 53 Computer icon, described, 7 computer information, getting, 120–122 computer resources, sharing, 225 computers locking, 205 managing, 7 sharing, 191 Connect option, choosing, 72 connections, verifying, 221–222. See also network connections contacts, adding to Windows Live Messenger, 100 Contacts list, using with email, 90–91 Content Advisor dialog box, 84 context menu, opening for object, 3

246


Index

Control Panel icon, 7 opening, 39 opening categories, 40 opening components, 40 Small Icons view, 40–41 switching views, 40 cookies on Web sites, handling, 82–83 Copy command, using, 59 copying CDs, 164–165 files and folders, 58–59 network files, 231 network information, 231 pictures from Internet, 83 text from Internet, 84 copyrights considering for media, 165 considering for music, 173 respecting on Internet, 85 CPU usage, checking, 110 CTRL key. See keyboard shortcuts Cut command, using, 59

D D: drive, 51–52 date and time setting, 4 setting and using, 36–38 daylight saving time, adjusting clock for, 37 Default Programs icon, described, 7 defragmenting disks, 65–66 deleted files, recovering, 55 deleted folders, recovering, 55 deleted items, displaying in Recycle Bin, 56 deleting favorite sites, 81 files permanently, 55

files to Recycle Bin, 54 folders permanently, 55 folders to Recycle Bin, 54 fonts, 156 Web History in IE8, 81 desktop seeing with Aero Peek, 35 showing, 4 starting programs on, 8 switching programs on, 107 using, 4 desktop background, changing, 25 desktop colors, changing, 25 desktop icons. See also icons aligning, 30 arranging, 30–31 changing, 29 described, 4 example of, 2 renaming, 31 resizing, 30 using, 5 desktop themes, changing, 25 desktop-navigation techniques Aero Peek, 14 Aero Shake, 15 Aero Snaps, 15–16 jump lists, 16 taskbar previews, 16–17 Details pane described, 10, 47 location of, 9, 46 using, 48 device drivers, locating, 125–126 Device Manager, listing hardware in, 70 Devices And Printers icon, described, 7 dialog boxes using, 11–13 versus windows, 10–11

dialog-box controls check box, 12 Command button, 12 drop-down list boxes, 11 list boxes, 11 option buttons, 11 slider, 12 tab, 12 tabs, 11 title bar, 11 dial-up connection, setting up, 71–72 dial-up Internet connection, 68 DirectX Diagnostic Tool, using, 170 disc, burning files to, 65–66 disk C:, opening, 52 disk drives. See also drives hierarchy of, 51 sharing, 199 disk navigation using address bar, 54 using folders, 53 using libraries, 53 disks checking for errors, 64–65 cleaning up, 64 defragmenting, 65–66 displaying recently displayed, 54 Display window, opening, 25–26 document properties, changing, 155–156 documents bringing in from disks, 135 creating with programs, 134 downloading across networks, 135–136 printing, 148 saving, 134 domain user accounts, 182 domains connecting outside of, 230–231 logging onto, 3

DOS commands, typing, 111 downloaded files, saving to hard disk, 125 drive labels, 51 drive navigation, using address bar for, 54 drivers, locating for hardware, 125–126 drives. See also disk drives selecting and opening, 52 sharing, 199, 225 DSL Internet connection, 68–69 DVD drive, label for, 51 DVDs burning playlists to, 167–168 copying to, 164–165 outputting movies to, 177 playing, 170 saving movies to, 178 writing files and folders to, 64–66 dxdiag, clicking, 170 dynamic IP addresses, using, 220

E E: drive, 51 ease-of-access settings, changing, 38–39 email. See also Windows Live Mail adding to calendar in Windows Live Mail, 95–96 addressing to categories of people, 91 attaching files to, 93–94 attaching signatures to, 93 creating and sending, 88–89 formatting, 92 forwarding scans as, 137 receiving, 89 responding to, 89–91 selecting color for, 92 selecting font for, 92 sending via Task Scheduler, 106–107

using HTML with, 92 using stationery with, 91 email account, creating in Windows Live Mail, 87–88 email addresses, adding to Contacts list, 90 encrypted files and folders, using, 204–205. See also files; folders encrypting files and folders, 60–61, 202–203 shared folders, 203 encryption, removing, 61 encryption key, backing up, 203–204 Error Checking disks, 64–65 Europe, choosing browsers in, 72 even pages, printing, 149 events adding email messages to, 95 adding to calendar in Windows Live Mail, 95 associating sounds with, 28 exclamation (!) point in shield, 18 Exit command, using to stop programs, 109 Explorer. See Windows Explorer Express card, using with wired Ethernet, 213

F F: drive, 51 favorite sites creating folders for, 80 deleting, 81 putting in folders, 81 Favorites adding sites to, 76 opening in Internet Explorer, 77 Favorites bar, adding sites to, 81 Favorites list, rearranging, 80 Fax And Scan window, displaying, 137 fiber optic Internet connection, 69–70 file access. See Windows Explorer

247


file attributes, changing, 61–62 file sharing, 234. See also sharing; Windows Firewall limiting, 189 testing for, 193–194 file system, purpose of, 51 files. See also encrypted files and folders; folders attaching to email, 93–94 backing up, 62–64 copying and moving, 58–59 creating, 59–60 defined, 45 deleting permanently, 55 deleting to Recycle Bin, 54 displaying, 229 encrypting, 60–61, 202–203 hiding, 201–202 indexing, 113 pinning to Windows Explorer icon, 35 printing to, 149–150 renaming, 54 searching, 5–6 searching for, 57–59 selecting multiple, 55 storage in folders, 46 storage of, 51–52 undeleting, 55 writing to CD or DVD, 64–66 zipping, 62 Filter Keys option, 39 firewall, setting for Remote Assistance, 128–129. See also Windows Firewall floating windows left- and right-aligning, 16 maximizing, 15 floppy drive, label for, 51 folder access. See Windows Explorer folder attributes, changing, 61–62

248


Index

folder navigation using address bar, 54 using folders, 53 using libraries, 53 folder sharing, 234. See also sharing; Windows Firewall HomeGroup, 196–198 limiting, 189 folders. See also encrypted files and folders; standard folders; zipped folders backing up, 62–64 copying and moving, 58–59 creating, 54 creating for favorite sites, 80 defined, 45 deleting permanently, 55 deleting to Recycle Bin, 54 displaying, 229 displaying recently displayed, 54 encrypting, 60–61, 202–203 files stored in, 46 hiding, 201–202 hierarchy of, 51 indexing, 113 naming, 54 open, 5 pinning to Windows Explorer icon, 35 putting favorite sites in, 81 renaming, 54 searching, 5–6 searching for, 57–59 selecting and opening, 52 selecting multiple, 55 sharing, 199, 225 storage of, 51–52 system-related, 7 undeleting, 55 user-related, 7

writing to CD or DVD, 64–66 zipping, 62 fonts adding and deleting, 156–157 selecting, 157 using, 157 Forward, using with email, 91 Forward button using on Internet, 75 in Windows Explorer, 46–47 frames, trimming, 174–175 FreeCell, playing, 19–21 Full Control permission, setting, 199

G gadgets, managing and downloading, 43–44 games, playing, 19–21 Gmail Web site, 93 Google Chrome, 72 Google Search, accessing, 76 group accounts, using, 199–201. See also user accounts groups adding, 200–201 adding users to, 200 opening, 200 setting permissions for, 200

H hard disk, label for, 51 hardware adding, 125–127 listing with Device Manager, 70 Have Disk button, using, 218 Hearts, playing, 19 Help And Support icon, described, 7 Help feature, using, 19–20 Hidden attribute, 61–62

High Contrast option, 39 History feature in IE8 deleting and setting, 81 using, 81 home page changing in Internet Explorer 8, 79–81 opening in Internet Explorer 8, 79 HomeGroup folder sharing, 196–198 Hostname, using, 222–223 Hotmail opening quickly, 94 Web site, 93 HTML (Hypertext Markup Language), using with email, 92

I icons. See also desktop icons; system icons adding to desktop, 29 in notification area, 5 pinning to taskbar, 34–35 showing hidden, 4 idle time, setting, 123 IE8 (Internet Explorer 8). See Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) images, enlarging in Photo Gallery, 140. See also photos; pictures; Windows Live Photo Gallery Import Video dialog box, displaying, 171 importing camera images, 138–139 inbox for email, sorting contents of, 89 indexing attribute, 61 controlling, 113 inheritance attribute, 189 InPrivate feature, using in IE8, 85 Internet browsing, 74–75 copying pictures from, 83 copying text from, 84

copying web pages from, 84–85 downloading programs from, 124–125 publishing movies to, 179 searching, 75–76 Internet connections accessing on network, 234 cell phone wireless, 70–71 choosing, 68–69 configuring, 72–74 download and upload speeds, 68–71 requirements, 72 satellite wireless, 71 telephone dial-up, 68 telephone DSL (digital subscriber line), 68–69 telephone fiber optic, 69–70 TV cable service, 70 verifying, 73 Internet Explorer accessing, 72 controlling content, 83–84 downloading Version 8, 72 Live Search, 75–76 versus Mozilla Firefox, 72 opening, 75 opening favorite sites in, 77 saving Favorites in, 76 starting in UK and Europe, 72 viewing menus in, 79 Zoom button and menu in, 77 Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) browsing sites, 85 changing home page in, 79–81 closing tabs, 79 creating tab groups in, 79 getting messages in, 84 Internet security feature, 82–84 opening home page, 79 opening web pages in new tabs, 78–79 storing favorite sites, 80–81

switching among tabs, 78–79 tabs in, 77 using Web History, 81 viewing sites, 85 Internet firewall, testing, 193–194. See also Windows Firewall Internet history. See Web History in IE8 Internet Options dialog box, options in, 82–84 Internet Protocols, 219 Internet security, controlling, 82–84 IP addresses dynamic, 220 entering, 221 obtaining automatically, 221 private, 222 public, 222–223 IPconfig, using, 222–223 IPv4 and IPv6, 219 ISP information, using, 72

J jump lists, using, 16

K keyboard closing programs from, 109 customizing, 41–42 keyboard shortcuts adding titles to movies, 176 capturing snips of menus, 143 closing programs from keyboard, 109 copying files and folders, 59 moving files and folders, 59 Quick Tabs, 78 Select All, 55 switching to tabs in IE8, 79 task list, 108 Web History in IE8, 81

249


L language options, selecting, 43 LANs (local area networks) client/server, 209–210 peer-to-peer, 208–209 Remote Desktop, 237 libraries, sharing in homegroup, 197 Libraries folder navigating, 53 shortcuts in, 53 Link-Layer Topology Discovery options, 220 links, using, 74–75. See also shortcuts list boxes example of, 12 using in dialog boxes, 11 Live Mail. See Windows Live Mail Live Search, using in Internet Explorer, 75–76 Local Area Connection, changing, 217 local disk drives, displaying in Explorer, 52 local printer, installing manually, 145–146 Lock option, explained, 18 locking computers, 205 Log Off option, explained, 18 logging onto Windows, 3 logon screen, bringing up, 205

M magnification, changing in status bar, 77 Magnifier option, 39 mail. See Windows Live Mail mapped network drive connecting to, 229–230 disconnecting, 230 maximized windows, restoring, 15 Maximize/Restore button described, 10 location of, 9

250


Index

maximizing floating windows, 15 Media Center QuickFacts, 179 Media Guide choosing in Media Player, 161 using, 162–163 Media Player. See also audio building playlists in, 165–166 controlling volume in, 162 displaying visualizations in, 168 Library view, 160–161 list pane, 162 Online Stores, 163–164 opening, 160, 228 organizing music in, 165–166 in Play mode, 161 memory usage, checking, 110 menus capturing snips of, 143 classic, 11 using, 10–11 using on Internet, 75 messages. See email Minesweeper, playing, 20 Minimize button described, 10 location of, 9 minimizing open windows, 14–15 modem installing, 69–70 terminology, 73 mouse copying files and folders with, 58 customizing, 39–41 moving files and folders with, 58 right-clicking, 3 using, 3–4 Mouse Keys option, 39 mouse pointer changing, 28–29

example of, 2 using, 5 Movie Maker making movies with, 173–176 opening projects in, 178 using, 170 movies adding titles to, 175–176 adding transitions, 175 beginning, 173 determining support for, 170 duration of still images, 175 mixing sound in, 176 outputting to DVDs, 177 previewing, 178 publishing to Internet, 179 requirements checklist, 171–172 saving for replay, 177 saving to DVDs, 178 trimming video clips, 174–175 Mozilla Firefox downloading, 72, 124 versus Internet Explorer, 72 MP3 players, syncing, 169–170 MSConfig, using, 112 multimedia, defined, 159 music burning to CDs, 167–168 organizing in Media Player, 165–166 music players, syncing with, 169–170

N Narrator option, 39 navigation pane folders in, 53 function of, 47 location of, 46 network addresses, using, 231

Network And Sharing Center, 5, 73, 194–196, 215 network architectures client/server LANs, 209–210 peer-to-peer LANs, 208–209 network connections. See also connections testing, 222–224 verifying, 221–222 network files, copying, 231 network information, copying, 231 network printers. See also printers identifying, 231 installing, 146–147 printing on, 231–233 searching, 147 using Add A Printer, 232–233 using Find Printer, 232 network resources connecting to, 229–230 identifying, 231 network security, reviewing, 224–226 network setup, testing, 222–224 network standards wired Ethernet, 210–211 WLANs (wireless LANs), 211–213 networking functions, enabling, 218–219 networking protocols checking and changing, 220–221 configuring, 219–220 networks, exploring, 228–229 newsgroup account, setting up, 96–97 newsgroups initiating threads, 98 newsgroup subscription, 97 posting messages in, 98 reading messages in, 98 responding to threads, 98 subscribing to, 97 unsubscribing from, 97 NIC drivers, checking, 214–217

NIC type, determining, 217 NICs (network interface cards) checking, 214–217 choosing for wired Ethernet, 212–214 testing for, 217 Notepad accessory program, 115 notification area changing, 36 icons in, 5 location of, 2, 4–5, 33 opening system features in, 4 setting time and date in, 4 showing desktop from, 4 showing hidden icons in, 4 starting programs in, 8 turning off icons in, 36 notification icons, customizing, 36

O Objects altering appearance of, 26–27 highlighting on screen, 3 moving on screen, 4 opening, 3 opening context menus for, 3–4 selecting on screen, 3 terminology, 45 odd pages, printing, 149 older programs, starting, 111. See also programs On Screen Keyboard option, 39 Online Stores, using in Media Player, 163–164 open windows displaying thumbnails for, 16–17 minimizing, 14–15 Opera, 72 option buttons examples of, 12 using in dialog boxes, 11

P pages. See also web pages determining for printing, 148 opening in new tabs, 78 printing even and odd, 149 replacing, 187–188 Paint accessory program, 115 panes, turning on and off, 11 paper trays, assigning, 152 Parental Controls, setting, 84, 189–190 password-protection, enabling, 205, 229 passwords changing, 186 creating, 185–186 forgetting, 186 removing, 187 resetting, 185–186 strong, 187 Paste command, using, 59 PC Card, using with wired Ethernet, 212–214 pcl.sep file, 153 peer-to-peer LANs, 208–209 permissions displaying for groups, 200 QuickFacts, 202 setting, 199, 202 Personalization window appearance of objects, 26–27 desktop colors, 25 desktop themes, 25 mouse pointer, 28 opening, 24, 29 resolution and text size, 25–26 screen saver, 27–28 sounds Windows 7 plays, 28 Photo Gallery. See Windows Live Photo Gallery photos. See also images; pictures organizing, 139–140 reviewing, 139

251


photos (cont.) synchronizing with videos, 142 using as screen savers, 27 pictures. See also images; Windows Live Photo Gallery; photos changing on Start menu, 33 copying from Internet, 83 creating, 134 locating and viewing, 142 printing, 148–149 scanning, 137–138 selecting for desktop background, 25 viewing in larger sizes, 142 PIN, using with smart cards, 187–188 Ping, using, 222–223 pinned icons adding to taskbar, 35 rearranging on taskbar, 35 removing from taskbar, 35 pinning icons to taskbar, 34–35 playback controls, choosing in Media Player, 161 playlists building in Media Player, 165–166 burning to CDs and DVDs, 167–168 randomizing, 166 Plug and Play, 125 camera installation, 135–137 printer installation, 144–145 scanner installation, 135–137 port vulnerability, testing for, 194 ports, configuring for printing, 150 Power icon, identifying, 5 power options, setting, 121–123 Preview pane described, 10, 46–48 location of, 9 Print dialog box, options on, 148 print jobs, using separator pages with, 152–153

252


Index

print queue changing properties in, 155–156 jobs in, 151 Print To File, selecting, 150 printer drivers, source of, 146 printer installation checklist, 144 identifying default, 147 local Plug and Play, 144–145 local printer manually, 145–146 on network, 146–147 printer ports, configuring, 150 printer priority, setting, 151 printer settings, 150 printer spooling, enabling, 151 printers. See also network printers assigning paper trays for, 152 choosing, 148 configuring, 150 configuring spool settings for, 152 sharing, 147, 225 for text files, 149–150 printing canceling, 154–155 controlling, 153 documents, 148 even and odd pages, 149 to files, 149–150 on network printers, 231–233 pages, 148 pausing, 154 pictures, 148–149 redirecting documents, 155 restarting, 154 resuming, 154 web pages, 150 processes letting run, 110 verifying, 109

program icons. See also desktop icons; icons; shortcuts adding, 29, 31 adding from menus, 31 adding from Programs menu, 31 adding from Start menu, 31 adding to desktop, 31 program instances, selecting, 108 programs. See also accessory programs; automatic programs; older programs; running programs; software active, 5 adding to Start menu, 32 listing, 5 pinning to taskbar, 5, 33 removing from Start menu, 32 scheduling to run automatically, 105–107 starting, 3, 8 starting automatically, 104 starting minimized, 105 stopping, 109–110 stopping with Task Manager, 109 switching, 107–108 projects, opening in Movie Maker, 178 Protected Mode, turning on and off, 84 protocols. See network protocols pscript.sep file, 153 Public folder, using, 189

Q Quick Print, accessing, 149 Quick Tabs, 78 quotation marks (”), using with search criteria, 76

R Read permission, setting, 199 Read-Only attribute, 61–62

Recent Pages control, using on Internet, 75 recovering deleted files and folders, 55 recovery, 120 Recycle Bin deleting files to, 54 deleting folders to, 54 emptying, 56 icon, 2 Restore All Items option, 56 using, 56 refresh area in Windows Explorer, 46–47 region and language options, 43 Reliable Multicast Protocol, 219 Remote Assistance providing, 131–132 versus Remote Desktop, 128–129 requesting, 128–131 security features, 131 setting up, 127–128 Remote Desktop connecting over LAN, 237 Connection, 238–240 leaving, 240 setting up accounts, 235–236 setting up clients, 237 setup LAN-based host, 236 Reply, using with email, 89 Reply All, using with email, 91 reset disk creating, 185–186 using, 185–186 resizing and positioning windows, 15–16 resolution, changing, 25–26 Restart option, explained, 18 restore points, creating, 118–119 restoring from system restore, 119 restoring Windows 7. See System Restore right-clicking mouse, 3

Rip CD, choosing in Media Player, 161 RIPE (Réseaux IP Européens), 223 ripping CDs, 164–165 Run command, using, 8, 109–111 running programs, displaying, 112. See also programs

S Safari browser, 72 satellite wireless connection, 71 Save Picture dialog box, accessing, 136 saving documents, 134 favorite sites, 76 movies to DVDs, 178 scanned documents, locating, 138 scanners, installing, 134–137 screen highlighting objects on, 3 moving objects on, 4 parts of, 4 selecting objects on, 3 Screen Background field, 112 screen saver personalizing, 205 picking, 27–28 screen shots, capturing, 142–143 Screen Text field, 112 screen tips, appearance of, 9 scroll arrow described, 10 identifying, 9 scroll bar described, 10 identifying, 9 scroll button described, 10 identifying, 9

Search box in Windows Explorer, 46–47 search criteria, using quotation marks with, 76 searching for files and folders, 57–59 Internet, 75–76 security adding groups, 200–201 adding users to groups, 200 backing up encryption keys, 203–204 controlling on Internet, 82–84 descriptors, 189 encrypting files and folders, 202–203 hiding files and folders, 201–202 HomeGroup folder sharing, 196–198 opening groups, 200 replacing passwords, 187–188 resetting passwords, 185–186 setting Parental Controls, 189–190 setting up users, 182–185 setting up Windows Firewall, 192–194 sharing drives, 199 sharing special folders, 199 sharing standard folders, 198 switching among users, 188 using encrypted files, 204–205 using encrypted folders, 204–205 using Network and Sharing Center, 194–196 using parts of Windows 7, 191 Select All keyboard shortcut, 55 Send, using with email, 89 SEP files, location of, 153 separator pages, using, 152–153 services installing, 219 verifying, 110 Share This Printer option, choosing, 147 shared folders, encrypting, 203

253


sharing. See also file sharing; folder sharing computer resources, 225 drives, 199 special folders, 199 sharing files and folders limiting, 189 in shared folders, 234 Shift key. See keyboard shortcuts shortcuts. See links; program icons creating, 57 identifying, 57 in Libraries folder, 53 Show Desktop button described, 4 location of, 5, 33 Shuffle Music option, using, 170 Shut Down clicking, 18 versus Sleep, 18 signatures, attaching to messages, 93 site navigation, using, 74–75 sites. See Web sites sizing handle, 9–10 Sleep resuming from, 19 versus Shut Down, 18 slider, example of, 12 smart cards, using, 187–188 Snipping tool, using, 142–143 snips, capturing, 142–143 software. See also programs downloading from LAN, 123 installing from CD, 122 installing from Internet, 124–125 removing, 125–126 Solitaire, playing, 20–21 sound. See also Media Player playing, 85 mixing in movies, 176

254


Index

Sound dialog box, opening, 28 Sound icon, identifying, 5 spinner, example of, 12 spool settings, configuring, 152 spyware, guarding against, 243–244 standard folders, sharing, 198. See also folders Start button location of, 2, 4–5, 33 using, 4 Start menu adding programs to, 32 All Programs item in, 5 changing items displayed in, 31–32 changing picture on, 33 opening, 5–6 removing programs from, 32 resizing icons in, 31 Run command, 110–111 starting programs on, 8 system-related folders in, 7 user-related folders in, 7 Start menu, opening, 2 Startup folder, programs in, 104 startup screen, appearance of, 2 stationery creating, 92 using with email, 91 status bar, turning on, 77 Sticky Keys option, 39 Sticky Notes, using, 144 still images, adjusting duration of, 175 storage devices, identifying, 51–52 stored data, protecting, 201–204 subject pane example of, 9 function of, 10, 47 location of, 46 selecting all objects in, 55 selecting multiple files from, 55

selecting multiple folders from, 55 sorting contents of, 49 Switch User option, explained, 18 Sync, choosing in Media Player, 161 Sync, using in Media Player, 169–170 sysprint.sep file, 153 sysprtj.sep file, 153 System Configuration Utility, leaving settings in, 112 system features, opening, 4 system icons, displaying, 36. See also icons system information, getting, 120–122 System Recovery, running, 120 System Repair, running, 120 System Restore creating restore points, 118–119 drive requirements, 118 features of, 117–118 running from System Recovery, 120 running from Windows, 119 setting up, 118 undoing, 119 system-related folders, opening, 7

T tab group, creating in Internet Explorer 8, 79 Tablet PC Input Panel, opening, 33 tabs in dialog boxes described, 11 example of, 12 tabs in Internet Explorer 8 closing, 79 opening pages in, 78–79 switching among, 78–79 task list, switching programs on, 108 Task Manager, using, 109–110 Task Properties dialog box, displaying, 106 Task Scheduler, using, 105–107

taskbar areas of, 33 closing programs from, 109 hiding, 34 location of, 2, 4 moving and sizing, 33–34 pinning icons to, 34–35 programs pinned to, 5, 33 removing pinned icons from, 35 starting programs from, 8 switching programs on, 107–108 ungrouping tasks in, 110 unlocking, 34 using, 4 using small icons, 34 taskbar buttons, customizing, 34–35 taskbar previews, using, 16–17 taskbar properties closing, 35–36 opening, 34 TCP/IPv4 and TCP/IPv6, 219–220 telephone connections dial-up, 68 DSL (digital subscriber line), 68–69 fiber optic, 69–70 text, copying from Internet, 84 text box, example of, 12 text file printer, creating, 149–150 text size, changing, 25–26 themes, reviewing, 25 thumbnails displaying for open web pages, 78 displaying for open windows, 16–17 viewing in Photo Gallery, 141 time and date, setting, 4, 36–38 title bar contents of, 11 described, 9 location of, 9, 12

titles, adding to movies, 175–176 Toggle Keys option, 39 toolbars described, 9, 46–48 example of, 9 transitions, adding to movies, 175 Trim, clicking in Video group, 174 Turn Shuffle On, using, 166 TV cable service connection, 70

U UAC (User Account Control) QuickFacts, 182–183 UK (United Kingdom), choosing browsers in, 72 updates. See Windows Update USB flash drive, using disc as, 65 user account type, changing, 183 user accounts. See also group accounts customizing, 188 domain, 182 renaming, 184 setting up, 184–185 user-related folders, opening, 7 users adding to groups, 200 Administrator, 182–183 logging on as administrator, 182–183 Standard, 182–183 as Standard Users, 200 switching among, 188

V video importing from camcorder, 171–173 playing on web pages, 85–86 synchronizing with photos, 142 video clips, trimming, 174–175

video DVDs, playing, 170 visualizations, displaying in Media Player, 168 volume, controlling in Media Player, 162

W Web Browser Ballot, 72 Web History in IE8 deleting and setting, 81 using, 81 Web mail, using, 93 web pages. See also pages copying from Internet, 84–85 printing, 150 seeing thumbnails of, 78 Web sites adding to Favorites, 76 adding to Favorites bar, 81 browsing and viewing in IE8, 85 APNIC (Asia Pacific Network Information Centre), 223 ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers), 223 categorizing for security, 82 categorizing into zones, 81–82 entering directly, 74 Google’s Gmail, 93 RIPE (Réseaux IP Européens), 223 saving, 76 Windows Live Essentials, 86 Windows Live Hotmail, 93 Yahoo! Mail, 93 WiFi standard, 211 window layout, changing, 11 windows versus dialog boxes, 10–11 hiding and unhiding, 15 resizing and positioning, 15–16

255


windows (cont.) restoring, 16 using, 8–10 Windows, logging onto, 3 Windows 7 automatic updates, 115–116 using parts of, 191 Windows Defender doing manual scan, 244 settings, 243 Windows desktop. See desktop Windows Explorer changing layout, 48 components and features, 46–47 components of, 9 customizing, 48–49 displaying local disk drives in, 52 Folder Details view, 49 Folder Options dialog box, 50 menus, 49–51 opening, 47–48 opening layout options, 48 Organize menu, 49 Tools menu, 50 turning off Details pane, 48 turning on menus in, 11 turning on Preview pane, 48 Views down arrow, 49 Windows Explorer icon pinning files to, 35 pinning folders to, 35 Windows features, turning off and on, 191 Windows File System, 46 Windows Firewall. See also file sharing; firewall; folder sharing; Internet firewall setting for Remote Assistance, 128–129 setting up, 192–193, 226 Windows Flag key, identifying, 6

256


Index

Windows Live account, establishing, 99 Windows Live Essentials downloading, 86 features of, 87 Windows Live Hotmail opening quickly, 94 Web site, 93 Windows Live Mail. See also email applying stationery to messages, 91 attaching signatures, 93 calendar, 94–96 creating and sending email, 88–89 establishing email account, 87–88 formatting messages, 92 getting, 86–87 newsgroup account, 96–97 pinning to taskbar, 88 posting messages in newsgroups, 98 reading messages in newsgroups, 98 receiving email, 89 responding to messages, 89–91 selecting color for messages, 92 selecting font for messages, 92 starting quickly, 88 syncing with ISP, 89 Windows Live Messenger adding contacts to, 100 blocking comments, 101 Conversation window, 101 personalizing, 100 receiving messages, 101 sending messages, 101 Windows Live Photo Gallery. See also images; photos; pictures enlarging images in, 140 single-image window, 141 starting, 139 viewing pictures in, 141

viewing thumbnails in, 141 Windows Live Sync feature, 142 Windows Media Center QuickFacts, 179–180 Windows Media Player. See Media Player Windows session, ending, 18–19 Windows Update applying updates, 116 using, 115–116 wired Ethernet cabling, 214–215 connecting devices, 214 NICs (network interface cards), 212–216 using, 210–211 wireless connection, setting up, 240–242 wireless hardware wireless access point, 216, 240 wireless adapter, 215–216 wireless speed, 215 Wireless icon, identifying, 5 wireless network, using, 242–244 WLANs (wireless LANs), using, 211–213 workgroups, connecting outside of, 230–231 World Wide Web, 75

Y Yahoo! Mail Web site, 93

Z zipped files, extracting, 63 zipped folders. See also folders creating, 62 extracting, 63 sending files to, 62 sending folders to, 62 zipping versus compressing files, 61 zones, categorizing Web sites into, 81–82

Windows 7 QuickSteps

Windows 7 quicksteps

Windows 7 for Seniors QuickSteps

Windows 7

Windows 7

Windows 7

Windows 7

Windows 7 Pannenhilfe

Windows 7 Tweaks

Microsoft Windows 7 Unleashed

Windows 7 Inside Out

Easy Microsoft Windows 7

Using Microsoft Windows 7

Maran Illustrated Windows 7

Программируем Windows Phone 7

Windows 7 Bible

Windows 7 Plain Simple

Знакомьтесь: Windows 7

Windows 7 fur Spateinsteiger

Windows Phone 7 Secrets

Windows 7 simplified

Windows 7 Resource Kit

Windows 7 Inside Out

Windows 7 et Internet

Windows 7 Inside Out

Microsoft Windows 7 Unleashed

Windows 7 Para Dummies

Windows 7 Secrets (Elements-)

Windows 7 - Product Guide

Simply Windows 7

Windows 7 révélé

Windows 7 QuickSteps